隨著電腦與網路的技術不斷的快速發展,網際網路的應用服務在各國間也越來越普遍。網際網路的應用服務更是改變了人們日常生活當中的工作與休閒模式,而網際網路成為每天不可缺少的資訊重要來源。然而,各國家會因為所處的區域、教育程度或所得等影響,造成數位資訊出現資訊取得不平等的現象。 為瞭解上述情況,本研究即以各國家的經濟條件為探討的對象,分析各國家網際網路之使用情況是否受到經濟環境之影響,國家經濟能力之相關指數是否可以解釋網際網路之使用情況。此外,本研究更進一步地分析經濟能力不同之國家間是否存有數位落差之情況,且該數位落差的情況吻合創新技術擴散理論。首先,本研究利用資料追蹤法解析各項國家經濟指標與網路使用率的關係,並藉此釐清對網路使用率有顯著影響的變數。其次,再以上述顯著變數為基礎,利用K-mean技術逐一將各年度的國家予以分群,並將其與創新技術擴散理論的分群結果比較,以分析兩分群結果的相似率。最後,由實驗結果發現,國家網際網路之使用情況確實受到經濟環境之影響,且國家經濟能力之相關指數可以合理地解釋其網路使用情況。另外,不同經濟條件之國家間確實存有數位落差的情況,且差異的情況與創新科技擴散理論相符。
In recent two decades, Internet network has been regarded as the most important channel of information acquisition because its innovative service is changing lifestyle for people. However, not all people among different counties could freely and easily acquire the information via internet network due to some causes (i.e., economy). Therefore, the digital gap among different counties might exist. In this paper, the economic indicators and network usage of 246 countries were taken as the study case. Firstly, the data panel approach was used to analyze the relationship between the usage of Internet network and indices of country economy and to identify the significant economy indices for the usage of Internet network. In additional, the k-mean technique was utilized to classify the countries in each year based on the significant economy indices for the usage of Internet network. After that, the similar rate of two classification between the innovation diffusion and k-mean technique can be acquired by comparing the difference of them. This paper found that the usage rate of the internet network can be reasonably estimated by the economic indicators. The digital gap indeed exist among the countries with different economic conditions and the above-mentioned digital gap correspond the diffusion of innovations theory.