Inequality in the availability of social support. Based on these observations about competence, we would expect inequality in competence to deepen inexorably, as skillful users find the Internet rewarding and acquire greater skill and users without know-how are frustrated and turn away. Yet we know that this is not the case: most new users do become more competent. We suspect that a major reason for this is that they can draw on social support from more experienced users when they reach the limits of their own skills.