DEMOGRAPHICS AND MOBILE PHONE TECHNOLOGY USE BY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN NAIROBI, KENYA

Abstract

Purpose: This research investigated the moderating effect of demographic factors on mobile phone technology use by undergraduate public university students in Nairobi, Kenya. The objective of the research was to establish the moderating effect of demographic characteristics on undergraduate university students’ use levels of mobile phone technology.
 Methodology: The research used the media technological determinism theory as a theoretical framework. The target population was 246,871 undergraduate university students in six public universities in Nairobi, Kenya. The research design used was quantitative. Self-administered questionnaires were used as data collection tools. This study utilized purposive sampling to arrive at a sample size of 573 undergraduate students. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and then processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.
 Findings: Findings revealed that mobile phone technology use by undergraduate university students was not subject to demographic factors. The research concluded that there was no moderating effect of respondents’ demography on the relationship between undergraduate public university students and mobile phone technology use levels.
 Unique Contribution to Theory and Practice and Policy: Since this research focused on undergraduate university students in public universities in Nairobi, Kenya, the researcher recommends that another research could be carried among post graduate students and also among private universities to find out if demographic factors may be affecting mobile phone technology use.