The social structuring of the digital gap in a developing country. The impact of computer and internet access opportunities on internet use in Thailand

Abstract We examine the first digital divide in a developing country, Thailand, exploring how resources and appropriation theory concepts explain internet use diversity. We find that computer and internet access opportunities are the primary drivers of internet use and also that their effect depends on individuals’ resources and social categories (particularly gender, age, and education), resulting in mobile and traditional user classes (younger, better educated, urban women, and older, less well-educated, married, non-urban individuals, respectively). Drivers behind internet use diversity may be generational, suggesting a need to switch the research focus from households to individuals, even in less developed countries.