The role of motivation in the digital divide: The moderating effect of device access

Abstract

Socioeconomic status and demographic determinants are the most commonly examined factors in the study of the second-order digital divide regarding the differences associated with Internet use. The role of motivation in digital inequalities is comparatively less studied. We examine motivation and access variables in this paper. Statistical analysis based on a representative survey conducted in China indicates that motivation is a salient predictor of Internet use when other factors are controlled. In addition, device access significantly moderates the association between motivation and certain types of Internet use. While mobile-only users show the same, if not stronger, motivation for using the Internet for the purposes of study, entertainment, and e-commerce, they actually use those functions to a lesser extent than multimodal users. Hence, the digital divide is a multifaceted issue that requires a comprehensive solution.