스마트 기기의 3단계 디지털 격차에 영향을 미치는 요인에 관한 연구: 이용동기를 중심으로 = A Study on the Factors Influencing the Third-level Digital Divide of Smart Devices: Focusing on Usage Motivation

국문 초록 (Abstract)

본 연구는 스마트 기기 이용의 궁극적인 목적인 이용성과에 영향을 주는 요인을 찾아내고자 한다. 디지털 격차에 대한 기존 연구들은 주로 역량이나 활용에 초점을 둔 반면, 가장 중요하고 실질적인 격차라 할 수 있는 이용성과에 영향을 주는 요인들을 제대로 설명해 내지 못하였다. 성과의 차이는 디지털 격차가 단순히 온라인상의 불평등에 머물지 않고, 현실적인 삶의 격차로 연결된다는 점에서 그 중요성이 강조되어 왔다. 또한, 이용동기에서, 역량과 활용을 거처 성과에 이르는 3단계의 순차적 격차모형을 실증적으로 분석하였다. 자료는 한국지능정보화진흥원에서 매년 조사하는 ‘디지털 정보격차 실태조사’의 2020년도 원시자료를 활용하였으며, 분석은 SPSS와 AMOS를 이용하였다. 분석결과, 이용동기가 스마트 기기의 이용성과에 가장 크고 유의미한 정적(+) 영향을 미치는 요인으로 나타났고, 역량과 활용이 뒤를 이었다. 접근은 통계적으로 유의미한 영향을 미치지 못하였다. 이용동기에서 역량, 활용 그리고 성과로 이어지는 순차적 격차모형의 적합도는 유의미하게 나타났다. 이용동기는 역량에 직접적인 영향을 미칠 뿐만 아니라, 이용성과에도 의미 있는 직·간접적 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 연구결과는 스마트 기기의 이용이 오프라인 삶의 성과로 귀결되기 위해서는, 이용역량에 앞서 이용자가 왜 그것을 이용하려고 하는지, 즉 이용동기의 중요성도 고려해야 한다는 시사점을 제기한다. 욕구 및 필요에 중점을 두는 맞춤형, 개인 중심적 디지털 격차 정책의 필요성을 제언한다.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

As the use of smart devices becomes widespread, policy approaches to addressing the digital divide require a new perspective. In the case of smartphones, which are used by 94.6% of the population, access itself no longer holds much significance. Even if the same device is used, the meaning it has in an individual’s life can vary greatly. This means that differences within the user group are more important than differences between users and non-users, and that there is a growing need to focus on outcomes beyond access, capacity, and usage. This is because differences in outcomes due to the use of smart devices can in turn affect an individual’s offline life and social capital, and there is a great concern that differences in newly formed social capital can extend and reproduce into another digital divide. Many studies on digital divide have been conducted with a focus on capacity and usage. However, empirical studies on outcomes are very limited, both domestically and internationally. In this vein, this study aims to identify factors that affect user outcomes, which can be considered the ultimate goal of using smart devices.
Another area that digital divide studies have not sufficiently addressed is the motivation for use. Existing academic and policy studies have focused on capacity, while failing to fully understand the importance of motivation, which is cited as one of the most important reasons for using or not using digital devices. Van Dijk, a leading figure in digital divide research, and his fellow scholars recognize use motivation as the needs, reasons, or purposes related to internet use, and they emphasize its importance. In particular, he presented motivation as the most important factor preceding physical access in his three-stage digital divide model. A significant portion of the group that does not use the Internet does not recognize ‘why they need it’ and ‘what benefits it can provide’. They do not use it because they do not know how it can help them solve the problems they face in reality. However, there is not much empirical research or policy effort regarding the importance of motivation. French and his colleagues argue that motivation is the most fundamental reason for not using the Internet, but has not been studied in sufficient depth and detail. In this vein, this study aims to verify the meaningfulness of the sequential sequential divide model, that progresses from motivation to capacity, usage and outcome. The three-stage sequential divide model provides a comprehensive framework to explore the relationship between motivation and outcomes, moving from motivation to capability, usage, and ultimately, outcomes. To answer these questions, this study set two research questions.
Research question 1) What are the factors that affect the outcome of using smart devices? Research question 2): Is the sequential digital divide model appropriate? Does motivation has a statistically meaningful effects on the outcome? To approach these questions, empirical study using secondary has been carried out. The data utilized are from the raw data of the 'Digital Divide Survey 2020' by the National Information Society Agency of Korea. The analysis are performed using SPSS and AMOS.
The analysis of research question 1 showed that motivation had the largest and most significant positive (+) impact on the user outcomes of smart devices, followed by capacity and usage(<Table 1>). Access do not have a statistically significant impact.
As for research question 2, the fit of the three-stage sequential divide model(motivation → capacity → usage → outcome) turned out to be significant. Motivation not only directly influenced capacity, but also had meaningful direct and indirect effects on user outcomes. These results are significant in that they show that the three-stage sequential digital divide model from motivation to outcome is significant.
The findings suggest that to achieve real-life outcomes through...