Digital Divide-a New Perspective Of Social Inequality

With the development of network and the importance of enhancing information, internet has immersed in all areas of society. At a result, internet brings the information gap and knowledge separated, which is called digital divide. Digital divide has an deep impact on people's lives. This paper analyses the root causes, consequences and implications of digital divide according to the perspectives of the social inequality. Also, the paper points out that digital divide stems from social inequality, and it has already become a new social equality phenomenon. What's more, it strengthen social inequality and brings more inequality.The object of this paper is the digital divide problem, which caused by different use of internet by different groups. And the perspective of this paper is the theory of social inequality and the theory of class differentiation. The first part of this paper is an introduction, which recalls the significance of information technology and the concept of digital divide, then the core issues is put forward, and points out the significance of study method and the framework; the second part is the theoretical part, which defines the concept of the digital divide at the beginning, then recalls the current research of digital divide and its theories, and then the theory of social inequality is introduced, and the relationship of the theory and digital divide is analysed, too; PartⅢfocuses on the empirical Study of the digital divide. The author uses data of , according to which the author describe and analyse the situation of Chinese internet users; PartⅣexplains the causes of digital divide in the view of social inequality theory, that is the logic relationship between social inequality and digital divide. And points out that digital divide emerging in the information age means a new inequality. Then the author further analyse that digital divide influence different social groups through case interviews, that is, the existence of digital divide strengthen social inequality; The last part is the conclusion.This article through to the Internet user's condition and the case interview's research analysis discovery, in the nowadays our country society, the different age, the sex, the educational level, the occupation and between the different income has the digital divide. Namely, masculine, the young people, the high school record, the high position's community, its use Internet's ratio is high, other social strata compare with it have certain difference. Especially the representing the people social economy status occupation and the education aspect, between the different social stratum's disparity will have the expanded tendency in the future, the high school record and the high occupational status's person more and more will be using the Internet. The occupation and educational level oneself after becomes the influence"the digital divider"the most important variable. Between the different community's digital divide, produces the root is the social not equal existence, now the digital divide already became the information society not equal manifestation, this kind of not equal existence has the strengthened the function of society inequality.If wants to eliminate the digital divide truely, but must penetrate into in behind of the digital divide .faces to the underlying of social inequality directly, also only then eliminates social inequality , can true eliminate the digital divide. Therefore, extinguishes the digital divide, no matter what heavy.