Hello, A few weeks ago I asked for input from this list on terminology to describe developing countries that had some analog technological infrastructure, if not the most digital, cutting-edge stuff. I had been calling such places "digitally emergent." Here's a synthesis of the comments I received from others on the topic, which are helpful for providing a more granular understanding of the words I've heard or used to describe developing places. * Second World (as in First, Second, and Third World. see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_World) -- very problematic term. It has ambiguous, multiple meanings. It is obsolete in the sense that it references a Soviet presence that no longer exists. * Fourth World -- see Manuel Castells' work. socially powerless places/people such as women, children, or ethnic minorities. Can mean ethnic minority populations who are not fully represented by their nation-state/government. Can also suggest completely unindustrialized places. * Information rich or information poor. a way to characterize societies as they transition to knowledge-based economies. "Information rich" suggests people with access to information, e.g., through the Web, newspapers, etc. This rich/poor split can apply to international digital divides as well as domestic divides (like well-connected/not connected people and places in the US) * Technology adoption terms applied to countries (see WIPO http://www.wipo.int/copyright/ecommerce/en/html/index.html#5 ; these terms are taken from the UNDP Human Development Report 2001 http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2001/en/pdf/completenew.pdf). These reference the amount of technological and human resources that are present for technology adoption: "leaders" - e.g., Finland, US, Japan "potential leaders" - e.g., Mexico, Greece, Czech Republic "dynamic adopters" - e.g., Philippines, Brazil, China "marginalized" - e.g., Sudan, Senegal, Nepal Thanks! Carolyn Wei Dept. of Technical Communication University of Washington