Citation:
Van Deursen, A.J.A.M. & Van Dijk, J.A.G.M. (2016). Modeling Traditional Literacy, Internet Skills and Internet Usage: An Empirical Study. Interacting with Computers, 28(1), 13-26.
Abstract:
In this investigation, a multi-faceted model of Internet appropriation is tested. The model contains motivational, material, skills, and usage access. A study among a representative sample of the Dutch population revealed that although the emphasis on the digital divide has begun to incorporate skills and usage, motivational and material access remain relevant since they operate throughout the whole process of Internet appropriation. A lack of physical access might have been reduced in developed countries, material access remains relevant. Although the access sequence is conditional in the respect that skills, for example, will not develop without a sufficient Internet attitude or motivation and without physical and material access, all stages have their own grounds of determination and interact together to shape digital inequalities. Policies should address them simultaneously. Overall, younger people with higher educational levels and higher income and in some areas males, have better Internet access, a finding that is reinforced in every step of the access sequence. Furthermore, individuals who are motivated to use the Internet and who use several devices are not necessarily developing skills and improving their usage diversity.