Cross-cultural dimensions of Internet portals

When new technologies become available and cultures adopt them, the result can be either convergence, cultures becoming more similar as a result, or divergence, when cultures adopt technology in different ways that maintain or even further accentuate their differences. An analysis of full-service national Web portals from different countries, typically offering a search engine, directories of links on a set of selected topics, news items (including weather, sports, entertainment, and stock market results), advertisements and shopping, and free e-mail, shows evidence of both trends. While most national portals closely resemble the basic structure of Yahoo!, the original free full-service portal, there are also differences in appearance and features offered that can be attributed to cultural variations based on Hofstede's framework.