Internet Power and Social Context: A Globalization Approach to Web Privacy Concerns

Contemporary perspectives on the Internet don't recognize negotiations about its meaning that take place in many societies, causing the Web to be defined simultaneously in terms of local cultures and world markets. We propose a "globalization" perspective that can help researchers situate a society's cultural and technological practices within broad political and economic parameters, identify global forces and local voices, and study dynamics of their co-existence. As an exploratory foray, we compare U.S. and Israeli parents' attitudes toward Web privacy. The findings call attention to a need for historical and geographical considerations at every level of Web research.