The Internet and its impact on developing countries: examples from China and India

The Internet has significantly changed information management in developed countries through creating pressures to improve communication systems and develop more user friendly environments for information sharing. Now the Internet is penetrating developing countries, changing information practices in various sectors. The Internet is changing traditional ways of conducting information business by establishing new sources of information and new methods of communication on a global basis. It has created pressure to update information/technology infrastructures. It has created competition by bringing many international and indigenous information technology vendors on to the same platform. It has helped policy makers take advantage of access to global sources of information. Discusses the role of the Internet and its impact on developing countries, including major issues associated with electronic information access and delivery. It focuses on the two most populous countries in the world, China and India, which are also information‐rich countries in the East‐Asia and South‐Asia regions respectively.