Understanding, Measuring, and Alleviating Inequalities in Digital Technology Use
Digital technologies, such as smartphones and tablets, are increasingly integrated into people's everyday lives. Social scientists have also started to use these technologies for data collection, such as through apps and sensors embedded in smartphones and wearable devices. Despite the increasing device penetration in the general population, inequalities in the access to and use of digital technologies persist, reflecting existing social inequalities. Digital exclusion additionally becomes a methodological issue if the digitally disadvantaged population subgroups are not well represented in social studies.
The project investigates digital inequalities in Europe and the United States by focusing on three aims: 1) studying the correlates and mechanisms of digital technology acceptance, 2) improving the measurement of digital skills and technology use, and 3) identifying effective interventions to reduce inequalities in digital technology use.
Collaborators: Alexander Wenz
Funding: Mannheim Center for European Social Research (MZES)
Publications:
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The project investigates digital inequalities in Europe and the United States by focusing on three aims: 1) studying the correlates and mechanisms of digital technology acceptance, 2) improving the measurement of digital skills and technology use, and 3) identifying effective interventions to reduce inequalities in digital technology use.
Collaborators: Alexander Wenz
Funding: Mannheim Center for European Social Research (MZES)
Publications:
- Wenz, A., Keusch, F., & Bach, R. (2024). Assessing the quality of digital behavioral data for measuring smartphone use. Social Science Computer Review. Published online before print, January 11, 2024. 10.1177/08944393231224540
- Wenz, A. & Keusch, F. (2023). The second-level smartphone divide: A typology of smartphone usage based on frequency of use, skills, and types of activities. Mobile Media & Communication, 11, 459-483. 10.1177/20501579221140761
- Keusch, F., Wenz, A., & Conrad, F. (2022). Do you have your smartphone with you? Behavioral barriers for measuring everyday activities with smartphone sensors. Computers in Human Behavior, 127, 107054. 10.1016/j.chb.2021.107054
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