The so-called digital divide between emerging and developed economies worldwide might not be that wide after all. A new online survey conducted by Nielsen finds that while Western countries tend to be heavy users of such media hardware as DVD players and gaming consoles, next-generation devices like video-enabled handsets are more popular in up-and-coming markets, particularly in Asia.
The online population of the Philippines, for instance, emerged first among the 52 countries surveyed with the highest levels of usage across a range of devices, one of five Asia-Pacific countries that filled the top 10. The Philippines also topped a `pair of rankings that tracked usage of digital media and video games.
The findings emerged from the entertainment portion of the biannual Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey, which reached 26,000 online users in September. Rankings were computed by measuring a range of scores in response to thematically similar survey questions.
Although the Philippines was joined in the top 10 by China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand, the quartet of booming economies known as the BRIC countries -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- fared even better on a regional basis. Brazil finished second to the Philippines in the overall media usage ranking and first in the music category.
"Piracy has kept the cost of acquiring music down both on CDs and downloads," Hommez said.
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