ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the spatial inequality of online services from firstly the demand side, where people study the usage of online services, measured as 'Internet penetration' with data from The World Bank. It focuses on digitised and intangible services, which are mainly consumed online. The most obvious online services are online social media services provided by firms such as Facebook and Twitter. One adequate and widely accepted measure of the demand side of online services is 'Internet penetration'. Africa has the lowest Internet penetration rate in the world, although the average annual growth of users has been particularly high in some countries. The chapter covers the world's largest online service providers, which, as the authors argue, is an important indicator when assessing geographical disparities of the production of online services. For online service providers in the Global South it could be considered to put more emphasis on acquiring or collaborating with online service providers.
