English A cross cultural investigation on Smart Home Technology:

Abstract

Some individuals may feel threatened by the digital age and suffer from technophobia, whereas technophilic individuals embrace new technologies. Relying on a study of 243 participants aged 18-65, this study explored the roles of technophobia, technophilia, trust in technology, and digital competence, and how they interact within the SHT paradigm. Technophobia positively correlated with age and negatively with ownership and most digital skills. Males outscored females in overall competence, especially in creative digital skills and technophilia. Spanish participants scored higher than English participants on operational digital skills, creative digital skills, and technophilia-dependency. A hierarchical regression model with technophobia as the dependent variable showed that operational, navigational, and mobile digital skills contributed negatively to technophobia. Technophilia-enthusiasm negatively predicted technophobia, whereas technophilia-reputation did so positively. Culture and gender were not significant predictors of technophobia in this context. There is a need to provide digital skills for all sections of society to increase self-efficacy and counterbalance any feelings of anxiety and technophobia that may manifest in individuals who feel left behind in the modern digital world. The onus is for SHT manufacturers to design products that require basic digital skills and are custom-made for different populations cohorts within society.