This book provides a comparative analysis of inequality in the digital sphere. Grounded in sociological theories of inequality, it defines 'the digital divide' as unequal access to Internet communication technologies and explores how it has the potential to replicate existing social inequalities, as well as create new forms of stratification.

Massimo Ragnedda teaches Mass Communications at Northumbria University, UK. Previously he was an affiliated visitor at the Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge, UK and in 2011 he was Academic Visiting at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, UK.

Glenn W. Muschert is Associate Professor in the Sociology, Criminology, and Social Justice Studies Programs at Miami University, USA.

Introduction Massimo Ragnedda and Glenn W. Muschert Section 1: Theories of the Digital Divide 1. The Reproduction and Reconfiguration of Inequality: Differentiation and Class, Status, and Power in the Dynamics of Digital Divides Bridgette Wessels 2. A Theory of the Digital Divide Jan A.G.M. van Dijk Section 2: Highly Developed Nations and Regions 3. The Digital Divide in Europe Nicole Zillien and Mirko Marr 4. The Internet and Social Inequalities in the U.S. James Witte, Marissa Kiss, and Randy Lynn 5. Missing In the Midst of Abundance: The Case of Broadband Adoption in Japan Mito Akiyoshi, Motohiro Tsuchiya, and Takako Sano Section 3: Rapidly Developing Large Nations - the BRIC Nations 6. The Digital Divide in Brazil: Conceptual, Research and Policy Challenges Bernardo Sorj 7. Digitizing Russia: Uneven Pace of Progress toward Internet Access Equality Inna F. Deviatko 8. Digital Divide in India: Inferences from the Information and Communication Technology Workforce P. Vigneswara Ilavarasan 9. China Digital Divide in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan: The Barriers of First Order and Second Order Digital Divide Shu-Fen Tseng and Yu-Ching You Section 4: Eastern Europe 10. The Internet and Digital Divide in SEE: Connectivity Does Not End the Digital Divide, Skills Do Danica Radovanovic 11. Closing the Gap, Are We There Yet? Reflections on the Persistence of Second-Level Digital Divide Among Adolescents in Central and Eastern Europe Monica Barbovschi and Bianca Fizesan 12. Behind the Slogan of "e-State:" Digital Stratification in Estonia Veronika Kalmus, Kairi Talves and Pille Pruulmann-Vengerfeldt Section 5: The Middle East Region 13. Digitally Divided We Stand: The Contribution of Digital Media to the Arab Spring David M. Faris 14. Explaining Digital Inequalities in Israel: Juxtaposing the Conflict and Cultural Perspectives Gustavo Mesch, Ilan Talmud and Tanya Kolovov 15. An Analysis of the Second-Level Digital Divide in Iran: A Case Study of University of Tehran's Undergraduate Students Hamid Abdollahyan, Mehdi Semati and Mohammad Ahmadi Section 6: Under-Studied Countries and Regions 16. The Digital Divide in the Latin American Context Daniela Trucco Horwitz 17. The Central Asian Digital Divide Barney Warf 18. The Double Digital Divide and Social Inequality in Asia: Comparative Research on Internet Cafes in Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines Tomohisa Hirata 19. Dimensions of the Mobile Divide in Niger Gado Alzouma Afterword Internet Freedom, Nuanced Digital Divides, and the Internet Craftsman Sascha D. Meinrath, James Losey and Benjamin Lennett