Internet skills and the digital divide

TLDR

Internet skills are increasingly essential as the volume of online information grows and society’s dependence on it rises. The article examines how internet skills vary across the Dutch population. Two studies assessed a broad range of internet skills by assigning online tasks to participants drawn through random stratified sampling of gender, age, and education. Results show high operational and formal skills but lower information and strategic skills, with education influencing all skill levels and age affecting only operational and formal skills, indicating the digital divide has shifted from access to skill disparities.

Abstract

Because of the growing amount of information on the internet and people’s increasing dependence on information, internet skills should be considered as a vital resource in contemporary society. This article focuses on the differential possession of internet skills among the Dutch population. In two studies, an in-depth range of internet skills are measured by charging subjects assignments to be accomplished on the internet. Subjects were recruited by applying a random stratified sampling method over gender, age, and education. While the level of operational and formal internet skills appeared quite high, the level of information and strategic internet skills is questionable. Whereas education appeared an important contributor to all skill levels, age only appeared a significant contributor to operational and formal skills. The results strengthen the findings that the original digital divide of physical internet access has evolved into a divide that includes differences in skills to use the internet.