Bridging the digital divide among low income urban communities. Leveraging use of Community Technology Centers

Abstract

To fully leverage the availability of the internet services in Kenya, all the citizens need to be able to access and use the internet and related services. The availability of 4G networks, cyber cafés and fiber connectivity in most residential areas of Nairobi has allowed many Nairobi residents to be part of its information-based society. But, as with the other existing social inequalities in Nairobi, many people residing in the city’s low-income areas lack access to the internet. This has a negative impact on the residents’ prospects as the governments and businesses are increasingly delivering their services online. Using a pre-tested questionnaire, data were collected from five hundred and fifty respondents on their internet access and digital literacy skills among the residents of the Mathare Slum. From the survey, the study found existence of limited digital literacy skills and lack of internet access among the residents of the Mathare Slum. The study then used the Community Technology Centers (CTCs) intervention approach to narrowing the digital divide by setting up a CTC in the Mathare Slum to offer free community internet access and digital literacy skills training. Eight cohorts, each of eighteen residents, were offered free digital literacy training for five weeks and free unlimited internet access for four months. The study then evaluated the trainees’ internet usage continuance intentions after four months of continued use of the internet at the CTC. The results indicate that perceived enjoyment, perceived usefulness, internet self-efficacy, and confirmation of expectations all significantly influence the participants’ satisfaction with use of the internet. The results also show that continuance intentions of the participants from low income household to continue using internet beyond the CTC can be predicted by perceived service cost, satisfaction, internet self-efficacy and perceived usefulness. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of CTCs as an intervention approach and a replicable model that can be used to bridge the urban digital divide among low income urban communities for the development of an all-inclusive information-based society. Implications and recommendations for policy, practice and research are provided.