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developing a single and sustainable electronic infrastructure for information gathering and
business transactions for both travellers and suppliers (Law
et al
. 2004). Opposing theorists argue
that it is the acknowledgement and utilization of these benefi ts that will create what is termed
as reintermediation.
In contrast to disintermediation proponents, a counter claim has been made that discussions
of complete elimination are premature (Palmer and McCole 1999) and that what is likely to
emerge is a new kind of intermediary. The 'info-mediary' will take the new role of brokering
relationships between consumers and producers in the world of e-commerce. Goldsmith and
Litvin (1999) state that the new info-mediary must gather information on the supplier and
consumer and be able to merge these interests online. In addition to having an online presence,
agents will still act as counsellors, therefore they should be able to access and process large
amounts of information to narrow down choices and match with consumer preferences (Lang
2000). They must be able to access information, assess quality and provide expert advice. Users
often get so much information that they cannot use it in a meaningful way. It is the job of
intermediaries to eliminate these problems by providing a platform for information exchange
between buyers and sellers, which aggregates the relevant information and brings the appropriate
trading partners together.
The ongoing debate between disintermediation opponents and proponents has largely been
unresolved, which has led to a broadening of the technology adoption debate and has facilitated
a strengthening of earlier discussed classical theories of innovation diffusion and technology
acceptance. Of particular signifi cance is the fact that the post-Internet discourse has heightened
the debate on the global digital divide, which brings into sharp focus issues of information gaps,
information inequality and information poverty across and within societies.
The digital divide
The notion of the digital divide addresses the degree to which information technology access
provides an advantage and disadvantage to some individuals and directly infl uences tourism
distribution. A review of the literature on the digital divide addresses the research objective
which seeks to investigate the infl uence of external fi rm factors such as the digital divide in
technology adoption in owner-managed small fi rms. The concept has primarily been framed
using four distinct and contrasting approaches (Sassi 2005). He argues that the many different
views on the digital divide may be placed in four categories:
•
The Technocratic Approach
, which takes the position that the Internet is an important means of
everyday life and an essential tool for the new economy. This approach assumes that new
technology will overcome social inequality.
•
The Social Structure Approach
, which emphasizes the unevenness of Internet use across different
social structures. Theorists such as Winston (1986), Sparks (2000) and May (2002) argue that
the diffusion of the Internet cannot be generalized until societies are able to overcome social
inequality.
•
The Information Structure and Exclusion Approach
emphasizes social segregation and the process
of marginalization. Lash (1994) and Wacquant (1996) argue that poverty drives the exclusion
of some groups from modernization processes such as diffusion and adoption of information
technology.
•
The Modernization and Capitalism Approach
argues that capitalism drives modernization
processes. Castells (2000) discusses this along the lines of social stratifi cation theory and
concludes that what is currently taking place is informational capitalism.
