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International Internet Use 1

The new electronic media are concentrated in the developed world; and in the low uncertainty avoidance cultures, people have adopted the Internet fastest. In 2002, differences in the percentages of populations without access to the Internet, either at home or at work, was related to high uncertainty avoidance, which across 20 countries explained 46% of variance.

Next to uncertainty avoidance, masculinity explains variance of usage of all sorts of information technology. For example, in cultures of high masculinity people will use the Internet to be more competitive, whereas in the feminine cultures people have adopted it to enhance the quality of life.
Because of low penetration of personal computers in Japan, access to the Internet has lagged. The Internet has become more representative when new carriers were introduced such as Internet services by mobile phone. When in Japan Netphones (WAP phones) were introduced, the cell phone became the tool of access to the Internet. One study confirmed this difference in computer usage. Whereas Americans use their computers for lots of things related to children and education, in developed Asian countries people are less likely to use computers for teaching or entertaining children, or for school/college work. Also, Italians rarely use computers on children's behalf.

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