The Internet and
its impact on
China and India
199
The Internet and its impact on
developing countries: examples
from China and India
T. Kanti Srikantaiah
Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois, USA and
Dong Xiaoying
Peking University, Beijing, China
Introduction
In the new information climate many countries are relying on electronic
access to information through the Internet, which is revolutionising
information management and information technology. Developed countries
have improved their communication systems and are able to share
information in a user-friendly environment. They have used the Internet in
various sectors:
• agriculture;
• health;
• public sector management;
• industry;
• environment;
• telecommunications;
• trade;
• etc.
The Internet is now penetrating developing countries. This paper discusses
the role of the Internet in such countries, with specific reference to China and
India.
The Internet
The idea of the Internet originated about 25 years ago at the US Defense
Department Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), to keep track of
data through computer hardware and software. The Internet is now a
complex web of networks connected with high-speed links cutting across
countries. There are no set boundaries for the Internet in cyberspace. Recent
statistics show 50,000 networks in more than 100 countries with more than 50
million users (MIDS press release). It is estimated that the rate of growth in
Internet use is around 20 per cent a month. Currently the Internet is not
proprietary and is available to anyone with computer access connected to the
external world. Since the USA launched the information superhighway in
1994, the Internet has come to play an ever-increasing role in the vast
information market in many countries (Table I).
Asian Libraries, Vol. 7 No. 9, 1998,
pp. 199-209. © MCB University
Press, 1017-6748
Received February 1998
Revised March 1998