A study on the effect of smartphones on the digital divide

Abstract

This study aims at conducting an empirical study of the digital divide hypothesis in Korea where the majority of people own smart phones. The research question is as follows: "How does the proliferation of smartphones have an impact on the digital divide by demographic factors such as gender, age, education, income?" The dependent variable is the digital skill/usage access. The independent variables are gender, age, income, education and employment. Controlled variables include the desktop computer, laptop computer, Internet connection, and cellular phone. Smartphones are used as a moderating variable. As the result, the use of the smartphone reduced the existing digital divide by age, education, occupation, income. Policies associated with the digital gaps need to be propelled in the direction to raise the utilization and increase the accessibility of the smartphone.