非關上網？台灣的數位落差與網路使用的社會後果

Anything but Online? The Digital Divide and Social Consequences of Internet Use in Taiwan

本文將有關網際網路使用與社會不平等關係的理論區分為三類，包括：（1）有科技決定論嫌疑、認為上網能夠減少社會不平等的數位烏托邦論，（2）認為數位落差導致社會不平等惡化的數位控制論（數位反烏托邦論），以及（3）認為原先的社會不平等塑造數位落差，反之卻不然的懷疑論（社會形塑論），並且指出這三種理論文獻對上網如何影響社會網絡、所得差異、政治行為以及社會運動有不同的經驗預測。本文以2000-2010年的「台灣社會變遷基本調查」數據為基礎，探討影響數位落差的因素，以及個人上網時數對社會網絡大小、每月所得、投票行為與社會運動參與的影響。統計分析結果發現：階級、年齡與城鄉差異造成數位落差的擴大，而上網時數對社會網絡的大小、所得高低或投票行為並無重大影響。最後，上網抗議行為而非上網本身，與實際參與社會運動有關。總之，上網時數對台灣民眾的政治經濟差異或社交生活的影響似乎有限，本文統計結論更支持懷疑論（社會形塑論）的觀點，也就是原先的社會不平等塑造了民眾上網時數的數位落差。

The article examines the relationship between Internet use and social networks as well as social inequality in Taiwan. I divide the literature into three approaches: Cyber-utopian, Cyber-dystopian (control theory), and skeptical (social-shaping aspect) and illustrate their different hypotheses regarding social inequality, social networks, political behavior, and collective action. The Cyber-utopian approach claims that the diffusion of Internet use reduces information cost, equalizes market opportunity, and increases social capital, but the Cyber-dystopian approach claims that Internet use empowered ordinary political and economic elites. Both approaches focus on the social impacts of Internet use and imply technological determinism, while the skeptical approach focuses on the social inequality of Internet use, especially on the digital divide. According to a national survey (TSCS) conducted in Taiwan during the 2000-2010 period, I investigate hypotheses derived from the three approaches. The empirical findings confirm that inequalities still created digital divides of Internet use, but the effect of average time online per day is insignificant or ambiguous on the size of social network, income distribution, voting behavior, and participation in social movements. In sum, most empirical results support the skeptical approach rather than the two forms of technological determinism.