ADOPTION OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AND REDUCTION OF THE DIGITAL DIVIDE AMONG VULNERABLE GROUPS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Đorđe Kotarac; Đorđe  Mitrović; Simo  Stevanović

doi:10.59267/ekoPolj2503927K

Authors

Đorđe Kotarac University of Belgrade, Faculty of Agriculture, Nemanjina 6, 11000 Belgrade, Republic of Serbia https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6794-3788
Đorđe Mitrović University of Belgrade, Faculty of Economics and Business, Kamenička 6, 11000 Belgrade, Republic of Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1839-1105
Simo Stevanović University of Belgrade, Faculty of Agriculture, Nemanjina 6, 11000 Belgrade, Republic of Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9188-5929

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59267/ekoPolj2503927K

Keywords:

Digital economy, Digital divide, DIDIX and IDA Index, Vulnerable groups, European Union countries (27)

Abstract

In the endogenous theory of economic growth, technological progress is viewed as a crucial factor in the economic development of countries. The advancement of digital technologies and ICT innovations underpins sustainable economic growth over the long term. However, the rapid digital development of the population has not been distributed evenly across all social cohorts. The digital divide stems from insufficient adoption of technology by vulnerable groups. The paper assesses internet use, access to digital devices, and digital skill acquisition among vulnerable groups. The methodological approach includes the computation of the Digital Development Index (“IDA Index”) and the Digital Divide Index (“DIDIX Index”). The results indicate substantial growth in digital technology adoption and a reduction of the digital divide among vulnerable groups in EU (27) countries. The research demonstrates the emergence of the second-level digital divide, marked by broad access to digital technologies and devices, alongside persistent gaps in the digital competencies required for their effective utilization.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Adkins, D., & Sandy, H. M. (2020). Information behaviour and ICT use of Latina immigrants to the US Midwest. Information Processing & Management, 57(3), 102072.

Aissaoui, N. (2022). The digital divide: a literature review and some directions for future research in light of COVID-19. Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, 71(8/9), 686-708.

Bartikowski, B., Laroche, M., Jamal, A., & Yang, Z. (2018). The type-of-internetaccess digital divide and the well-being of ethnic minority and majority consumers: A multi-country investigation. Journal of Business Research, 82, 373-380.

Compaine, B. M. (2001). Re-examining the digital divide. Communications policy in transition: The Internet and beyond, 321-350.

Cortelyou-Ward, K., Atkins, D. N., Noblin, A., Rotarius, T., White, P., & Carey, C. (2020). Navigating the digital divide: barriers to telehealth in rural areas. Journal of health care for the poor and underserved, 31(4), 1546-1556.

Eurostat Database (2015-2023). Link: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/digitaleconomy-and-society/database

Gallistl, V., Rohner, R., Hengl, L., & Kolland, F. (2021). Doing digital exclusion– technology practices of older internet non-users. Journal of Aging Studies, 59, 100973.

Helsper, E. J., & Reisdorf, B. C. (2017). The emergence of a “digital underclass” in Great Britain and Sweden: Changing reasons for digital exclusion. New media & society, 19(8), 1253-1270.

Hidalgo, A., Gabaly, S., Morales-Alonso, G., & Urueña, A. (2020). The digital divide in light of sustainable development: An approach through advanced machine learning techniques. Technological forecasting and social change, 150, 119754.

Hill, R., Betts, L. R., & Gardner, S. E. (2015). Older adults’ experiences and perceptions of digital technology:(Dis) empowerment, wellbeing, and inclusion. Computers in Human Behavior, 48, 415-423.

Hüsing, T., & Selhofer, H. (2004). DIDIX: A digital divide index for measuring inequality in IT diffusion. It & society, 1(7), 21-38.

Ionescu, C., Iordache, M., & Țițan, E. (2021). The impact of digitization on economy in the context of the Coronavirus pandemic. In SHS Web of Conferences (Vol. 92, p. 01018). EDP Sciences.

Kim, H. J., Yi, P., & Hong, J. I. (2021). Are schools digitally inclusive for all? Profiles of school digital inclusion using PISA 2018. Computers & Education, 170, 104226.

Korovkin, V., Park, A., & Kaganer, E. (2023). Towards conceptualization and quantification of the digital divide. Information, Communication & Society, 26(11), 2268-2303.

Kotarac, Đ. (2024). The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on reducing the digital divide of the population of Serbia. Faculty of Economics Prilep, 327. Doi: 10.20544/EBSiDE.02.01.24.p30

Lin, C. H. A., Lin, H. S., & Hsu, C. P. (2017). Digital divide and income inequality: a spatial analysis. Review of Economics and Finance, 8, 31-43.

Lythreatis, S., Singh, S. K., & El-Kassar, A. N. (2022). The digital divide: A review and future research agenda. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 175, 121359.

Matthews, K., Nazroo, J., & Marshall, A. (2019). Digital inclusion in later life: cohort changes in internet use over a ten-year period in England. Ageing & Society, 39(9), 1914-1932.

Mihajlović, M., & Todorov, J. (2024). Analiza uticaja nedostatka resursa i satisfakcija stanovništva. Održivi razvoj, 6(1), 47-62. https://doi.org/10.5937/OdrRaz2401047M

Mitrović, Đ. (2015). Broadband adoption, digital divide, and the global economic competitiveness of Western Balkan countries. Economic Annals, 60(207), 95-115.

Mitrović, Đ. (2020). Measuring the efficiency of digital convergence. Economics Letters, 188, 108982.

Norris, P., & Inglehart, R. (2013). Digital divide. In Handbook on the digital creative economy (pp. 90-102). Edward Elgar Publishing.

Olphert, W., & Damodaran, L. (2013). Older people and digital disengagement: a fourth digital divide?. Gerontology, 59(6), 564-570.

Quan-Haase, A., Williams, C., Kicevski, M., Elueze, I., & Wellman, B. (2018). Dividing the grey divide: Deconstructing myths about older adults’ online activities, skills, and attitudes. American Behavioral Scientist, 62(9), 1207-1228.

Ragnedda, M. (2017). The third digital divide: A Weberian approach to digital inequalities. Routledge.

Rogers, S. E. (2016). Bridging the 21st century digital divide. TechTrends, 60(3), 197-199.

Scheerder, A., Van Deursen, A., & Van Dijk, J. (2017). Determinants of Internet skills, uses and outcomes. A systematic review of the second-and third-level digital divide. Telematics and informatics, 34(8), 1607-1624.

Shakina, E., Parshakov, P., & Alsufiev, A. (2021). Rethinking the corporate digital divide: The complementarity of technologies and the demand for digital skills. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 162, 120405.

Soomro, K. A., Kale, U., Curtis, R., Akcaoglu, M., & Bernstein, M. (2020). Digital divide among higher education faculty. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17, 1-16.

Stojković, A., & Kocić, S. (2024). Analysis of stress disorders and public speaking. Finansijski savetnik - časopis za pravo i finansije, 1(29).27-38.

Ueno, A., Dennis, C., & Dafoulas, G. A. (2023). Digital exclusion and relative digital deprivation: Exploring factors and moderators of internet non-use in the UK. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 197, 122935.

Van Deursen, A. J., & Van Dijk, J. A. (2019). The first-level digital divide shifts from inequalities in physical access to inequalities in material access. New media & society, 21(2), 354-375.

Van Dijk, J. A. (2006). Digital divide research, achievements and shortcomings. Poetics, 34(4-5), 221-235.

Van Dijk, J. A. G. M. (2017). Digital divide: Impact of access. The international encyclopedia of media effects, 1, 1-11.

Vehovar, V., Sicherl, P., Hüsing, T., & Dolnicar, V. (2006). Methodological challenges of digital divide measurements. The information society, 22(5), 279-290.

Venkatesh, V., Sykes, T. A., & Venkatraman, S. (2014). Understanding e‐ Government portal use in rural India: role of demographic and personality characteristics. Information systems journal, 24(3), 249-269.

Winters, J. V. (2011). Human capital, higher education institutions, and quality of life. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 41(5), 446-454.

World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database (2015-2023). Link: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/wtid.aspx

Yu, T. K., Lin, M. L., & Liao, Y. K. (2017). Understanding factors influencing information communication technology adoption behavior: The moderators of information literacy and digital skills. Computers in human behavior, 71, 196-208.