Internet use has increased dramatically in China. By the end of
June 2008, China had reached 253 million Internet users, overtaking
the United States and becoming the country with the largest
number of Internet users (China Internet Network Information
Center, 2008). However, as in many other countries, the digital divide
along the age dimension (Cho, Zuniga, Rojas, & Shah, 2003;
Zhu & Wang, 2005) has become a major concern in China. The percentage
of Chinese Internet users aged above 50 is significantly
lower than the younger generation. A recent national survey (China
Internet Network Information Center, 2008) revealed that only
3.9% of China’s Internet users are aged 50 years and older. The research
on the digital divide has expanded from the original focus
on access to a series of multi-dimensional concerns. As DiMaggio,
Hargittai, Neuman, and Robinson (2001) proposed, the divide
means ‘‘inequalities in access to the Internet, extent of use, knowledge
of search strategies, quality of technical connections and social
support, ability to evaluate the quality of information, and
diversity of uses” (p. 310).
Meanwhile, China’s popul