The Digital Usage Divide: Evidence and New Measures from 40 Million Windows Devices
a talk with Shane Greenstein, Harvard Business School
Join us on September 25, 2025, from 2:00-3:00 pm EDT for what is sure to be a fascinating exchange! Use the link here to register for the Zoom webinar: https://tinyurl.com/4wzk5mm7
A Joint event brought to you by the Quello Center and the Broadband Access Initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts
Access to digital infrastructure is crucial for economic opportunities, social inclusion, and civic participation. However, the use of digital technologies may be unevenly distributed, leaving some communities unable to fully benefit from new technologies. Current measurements often rely on basic indicators, such as computer ownership and broadband adoption, which do not adequately capture the depth and variety of digital usage. We build and analyze new measures of digital usage that leverage telemetry data collected by Microsoft during operating system updates across 40 million Windows devices in U.S. households. These measures of U.S. household digital usage are significantly more comprehensive than those provided by any existing commercial or government survey. We construct representations of devices in ZIP codes and find evidence of significant variation in usage reflecting an urban-rural divide. We also show the existence of substantial disparities in usage even within narrowly defined Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Income and education correlate with these observed differences. These effects are large and suggest digital usage gaps that extend beyond the availability of essential IT infrastructure at the local level. These findings call for interventions beyond the traditional focus on infrastructure access and address usage and skills development. The indices are made publicly available to support future research.
Shane Greenstein is the Martin Marshall Professor of Business Administration. He teaches in the Technology, Operations and Management Unit.
Encompassing a wide array of questions about computing, communication, and Internet markets, Professor Greenstein’s research extends from economic measurement and analysis to broader issues. His most recent book focuses on the development of the commercial Internet in the United States. He also publishes commentary on his blog, Digitopoly, and his work has been covered by media outlets ranging from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal to Fast Company and PC World.
Professor Greenstein previously taught at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, and at the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign. He received his PhD from Stanford University in 1989 and his BA from University of California at Berkeley in 1983, both in economics. He continues to receive a daily education in life from his wife and children.
The full paper by Mayana Pereira, Shane Greenstein, Raffaella Sadun, Prasanna Tambe, Lucia Ronchi Darre, Tammy Glazer, Allen Kim, Rahul Dodhia, Juan Lavista Ferres is available upon request.
An earlier conference paper version is available at SSRN: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5374618