Page 112 - Culture Technology Communication

National Level Culture and Global Diffusion 97

Table 1
Predictors and Their Roots
Category Variable Theoretical Root
Economy GDP per capita Relative advantage
Access to mass media Communication channels
Education Nature of the social system
PC’s per capita Compatibility
Trade Communication channels
Infrastructure Centrality Communication channels
Teledensity Compatibility
Cost of access Relative advantage
Peripherals Compatibility
Culture Uncertainty avoidance Nature of the social system
Gender equality Nature of the social system
English language Nature of the social system

cost of Internet adoption relatively low and hence creates a higher
relative advantage, is a strong predictor. In addition to GDP, the
level of education and a nation’s exposure to mass media will also
facilitate the adoption of the Internet. All three of these variables
are characteristics of early adopters of communication technologies
in general (Rogers 1986). Education provides the necessary skills
while the mass media perform the function of spreading informa-
tion about the innovation. Another mechanism for the mass media
to influence Internet adoption is by enhancing its prestige. For ex-
ample, as increasing numbers of firms place their URLs in adver-
tisements, both in print and on television, this puts pressure on
other firms to “keep up.”
One of the most intuitive variables for explaining Internet dif-
fusion is the presence of personal computers. The existence of PCs
and familiarity with their operation will enhance the compatibility
of the Internet through previous experience. Despite this variable’s
intuitive appeal, previous research has shown its explanatory power
to be less than expected. In countries belonging to the group the Or-
ganization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), it is
true that high Internet penetration is accompanied by high com-
puter penetration; however, there are some countries (Switzerland
for example) where high computer penetration has not been trans-
lated into Internet connections (OECD 1996). 9
The final variable in the economic category will represent the role
of an individual nation in the social structure of the global system. It