The Impact of Internet Information and Communication Literacy and Overload, as Well as Social Influence, on ICT Adoption by Rural Communities

Abstract

The adoption of information and communications technology (ICT) for rural development remains a critical issue in developing countries like Indonesia. Broadband projects, both infrastructure- and literacy-related, have been launched to increase ICT access and usage in rural areas. However, the extent of ICT usage for community development in rural areas remains unclear, and therefore this deserves critical assessment. This article argues that the higher the ICT adoption (ICTA) in a rural community, the greater its benefits in terms of development. By exploring Internet information literacy (IIL), Internet communication literacy (ICL) and social influence (SI), this study aims to get a better understanding of the relative influence of these factors on ICTA in rural areas. Also, this study considers Internet information overload (IO) and communication overload (CO) as moderators between independent and dependent variables. This study has been conducted in Gubugklakah village, Malang, Indonesia, with a pre-existing telecentre in the community. Using the partial least squares (PLS) method, the study finds that the ICL and SI variables are considerably higher in terms of construct validity compared with other variables. Both IIL and ICL significantly determine ICTA behaviour. IO and CO may even weaken the relationship between information and communication literacy and ICTA.