Affiliation:
1. Bharathiar University, India
Abstract
The purpose of establishing information and communication technologies (ICTs) in rural areas is for development. Nevertheless, the increasing presence of the “digital divide” indicates that there are setbacks in accomplishing of this progress. A deeper understanding about the categorization of users and non-users of technologies is needed as there is an implicit element called ‘potential users' among the non-users category that decides ICT usage. In this article, the analysis of demographics and psychographics of a person plays a critical role in identifying potential users and converting them to innovators. The reasons why people do and do not use technology and categorization of users and non-users is the perfect criteria to analyse potential users among so called non-users. This article discusses the categorization of ICT users and non-users and the barriers of potential users for technology use. Thus, measures for transforming potential users to innovators are described. The need for digital freedom is found to be the basic requirement of potential users.