As with most other resources, there are extreme global disparities in access to information technology - a state of affairs which is often labelled the "digital divide". It is a good idea to bear this disparity in mind when reading about the tools discussed in this chapter of the sourcebook.

A good starting point for material on the digital divide is the Digital Partnership's website.

For a contrary, up-beat take on the digital divide (which argues that the situation may be dire but is very rapidly changing) read Clay Shirky's (2003) Half the World.