Older Koreans' Information Support and Internet Use: Internet Skills and Technology Attitudes

While older Koreans have growing access to Internet, they still lag in actual utilization. This study examined effects of different information support sources on Internet utilization and whether these were mediated by Internet skills and technology attitudes among older men and women. This study used secondary data from 2019 Digital Divide Survey conducted by National Information Society Agency of Korea. The sample consisted of 1,031 Korean Internet users aged 60+, including 495 men and 536 women. Support sources included personal and professional. Skills were measured by ability to use specific features of mobile devices such as smartphones (seven items), while utilization was measured by the use of mobile devices for specific reasons (25 items). Serial mediation analyses using both skills and attitudes were conducted separately according to gender and support sources, covarying for demographics and health. In general, information support was positively associated with utilization. For men, personal informational support was mediated by technology attitudes only. For women, professional informational support was mediated by both Internet skills and technology attitudes, but the serial indirect effect was not significant for this model. The other two models showed significant serial mediation effects through Internet skills and technology attitudes, in this order. Only women had significant direct associations between information support and Internet utilization. Regardless of the source, informational support is positively associated with older Koreans’ Internet utilization. Professional support for men and personal support for women may be most beneficial for greater Internet utilization.

Do Internet Skills Increase Farmers’ Willingness to Participate in Environmental Governance? Evidence from Rural China

Environmental pollution is threatening the sustainable development of rural areas. Increasing farmers’ willingness to participate in environmental governance (FWPEG) can effectively reduce this threat. Fortunately, the internet can speed up the process. However, it is unclear whether and to what extent the mastery of internet skills will increase FWPEG. This study uses data from 3503 farmers in 30 provinces in mainland China. It uses the TE and IVQTE models to correct selection bias and quantitatively assess the impact of mastery of internet skills on FWPEG. The results show: (1) mastering internet skills can significantly increase FWPEG, and after correcting the endogenous deviation, the marginal benefit of farmers mastering internet skills is 0.124; (2) in the 34–81% quantile range, internet skills show a declining development trend in FWPEG, which is in line with “the law of diminishing marginal utility”, and mastery of the impact of internet skills on FWPEG has “leaping” (33% → 34%)” and “sagging (81% → 82%)” characteristics; (3) compared to that of the east, internet skills in central and western regions have a more significant role in promoting FWPEG. In general, internet skills can effectively increase FWPEG, and the impact will be more pronounced in underdeveloped areas. The influence of internet skills on FWPEG will gradually weaken with the increase of FWPEG. The results of this research help to coordinate the relationship between government environmental governance and rural environmental autonomy and provide some new ideas for realizing global rural revitalization.

Birds of a Feather Flock Together Online: Digital Inequality in Social Media Repertoires

Communication has long been concerned with people’s media repertoires, yet little of this approach has extended to the combination of social media platforms that people use. Despite their considerable popularity, research has found that people do not select into the use of social network sites (SNSs) randomly, which has implications for both whose voices are represented on them and where messaging can reach diverse people. While prior work has considered self-selection into one SNS, in this article we ask: how are different SNSs linked by user base? Using national survey data about 1,512 US adults’ social media uses, we build networks between SNSs that connect SNS pairs by user base. We examine patterns by subgroups of users along the lines of age, gender, education, and Internet skills finding considerable variation in SNS associations by these variables. This has implications for big data analyses that depend on data from particular social media platforms. It also offers helpful lessons for how to reach different population segments when trying to communicate to diverse audiences.

PROMOTING SELF-HELP—HOW INTERNET USERS PROTECT THEMSELVES AGAINST ALGORITHMIC RISKS

In today’s digitized society, internet users increasingly rely on online services that apply algorithmic selection, like for instance Google Search or the Facebook News Feed. The algorithms that are implemented in these services automatically select information sets and assign relevance to them. This entails societal risks such as privacy breaches, surveillance, manipulation, or overuse. One way for internet users to cope with these risks, is the use of self-help strategies such as deleting cookies or using an adblocker. Therefore, this article wants to answer the following question: What are the factors that promote internet users’ self-help against algorithmic risks? To do so, we analyze nationally representative survey data for three types of algorithmic risks: surveillance, manipulation, and internet overuse. The structural equation models show that being aware of algorithmic risks (H1), having had negative experiences that are related to these risks (H2) and possessing a higher level of internet skills (H3) are positively associated with the use of self-help strategies against algorithmic risks. Therefore, we conclude that awareness of algorithmic risks and internet skills should be promoted to increase internet users’ self-help. Nevertheless, self-help can only complement—but not substitute—statutory regulation to attenuate algorithmic risks.

Internet skills as an influencer for adoption of digital innovations in a technologically emerging nation: India

Purpose The advent of technology has enabled frequent innovations in the digital modes of doing business. While some users are reluctant to adopt one, others have made it their way of life. The purpose of this study is to find out the approximate time frame of a digital user in an emerging economy like India to adopt their favorite digital application. The importance of an individual’s level of internet skills is explored in the aspect of adopting digital innovations. Design/methodology/approach The study follows a quantitative approach where data collected from both primary and secondary sources are analyzed to arrive at the results. In total, 837 responses collected with the help of a structured questionnaire are entered and analyzed using SPSS. Multinomial logistic regression is the statistical tool used in the research. Findings Five sets of adopter categories based on Rogers (1983) are created using an adoption score and are represented in a Time Horizon to understand better. The Unaffected adopter category is used as the reference point to compare the set of internet skills against each of the other five categories. The five sets of categories comprising the internet skills depict interesting results in the case of all the four comparisons made. Social skills are not seen to have any influence on a user being an Innovator or Early Adopter as compared to an Unaffected user. It is also established that Operational and Creative skills play important role in users’ probability of being an innovator, early adopter and early majority compared to being unaffected. Originality/value The study analyzes the role of internet skills in the process of adopting digital innovations. The role of internet skill although is associated with every aspect of the digital revolution taking place all over, its application including the direct score of a digital user’s level of internet skills is not found in the literature.

Tracing the Global Trend on the Study of Digital Literacy

Using the SCOPUS database, this paper aims to quantify global research output on digital literacy (DL) from 2011 to 2020. In addition, there were 7388 documents and 42504 citations. The average number of citations received per publication was 5.63. The result of the study `depicts that the growth of publication on digital literacy has an incremental trend, and year-wise citation is also found to increase from 64 to 13163 during the study period. Furthermore, the research found that Relative Growth Rate (RGR) and Doubling Time (DT) had a fluctuating pattern throughout the study. "Internet skills and the digital divide" were learned to be the leading article among the most important source titles used for the publication of DL studies, with 368 citations. However, the "Journal of Medical Internet Research" received the highest mean citation per document (24.26), and G. Merchant was identified as the most prolific author with a mean citation per document of 24.38.

Measuring the Internet Skills of Gen Z Students in Higher Education: Validation of the Internet Skills Scale in University Settings

Internet technologies have infiltrated higher education institutions around the world. At the same time, the latest generation of students, the so-called Generation Z (Gen Z), are entering higher education. Gen Z is the first generation born in an Internet-connected world, and digital devices are a seamless part of its life. As a result, Gen Z students have already been engaged with informal digital learning via internet-based technologies outside of formalized education settings. However, previous research has shown that their engagement with these technologies is limited and might not sufficiently cover the knowledge and skills needed to perform internet activities effectively in higher education. Additionally, their familiarity with digital devices and tools varies. Consequently, there is a need for higher education institutions to close the skills gap by applying assessment processes that will assist them in forming policies and training resources for undergraduate students. To achieve the above, research efforts need to focus on developing theoretically informed and valid instruments that measure internet skills. This study has contributed to the validation of a self-assessment questionnaire, the Internet Skills Scale, that can be used in university settings. The questionnaire measures five types of internet skills: operational, information-navigation, social, creative, and critical. The results presented herein provide directions for future research in the field. Keywords: Internet Skills; Internet Skills Scale; Validation; Generation Z; Higher Education

What do College Learners Think of Synchronous Learning?

Advancements in educational technology and improvements in the internet’s connectivity has increased the interest of universities in e-learning worldwide. Unlike many institutions around the world, the traditional form of teaching in Albania before the Covid-19 pandemic was face-to-face where both lectures and seminars were attended physically in the classroom. However, the Covid-19 pandemic imposed on them the necessity to move from auditoriums to e-learning immediately without any preparation. This paper aims to investigate the Albanian learners’ attitudes and perceptions of synchronous e-learning during the second semester of the 2019 – 2020 academic year. A survey consisting of 15 questions was distributed to a total of 168 undergraduate and graduate learners in 2 public universities in Albania. Results from the study showed that the learners preferred face-to-face learning over synchronous learning. The lack of motivation, low level of interaction with their instructors and peers, and the feeling of isolation were their main concerns. Meanwhile, the learners appreciated the fact that e-learning helped them to improve their computer and internet skills. It is also less expensive and more comfortable than the traditional mode of teaching and learning.