These efforts are aimed not so much at bridging the digital divide but using the tools of the New Economy to address much larger social issues. This requires investments in people first and technology second. But it is investments in people where the greatest hope for change lies. Numbers are, of course, more seductive the larger they get. And that can be a problem.
Businesses count numbers.
Both print and broadcast media depend on numbers to set advertising rates. The membership of the U.S. House of Representatives is determined by using numbers. The larger the number, the greater the apparent benefit from the use of the statistic. Millions of people watching Seinfeld on television heard about the J. Peterman clothing outlets, yet the company just averted bankruptcy proceedings by selling to another company. The exponential growth and potential growth of the Internet is impressive and undeniable.