Digital Disconnect Version 1

Description

This study examines the impact of perceived infrastructural support and digital skills on user engagement with Nigeria's Digital Switchover (DSO). It investigates if digital skills mediate the relationship between infrastructural readiness and participation in this national digital broadcasting reform. Utilising a cross-sectional survey and structural equation modelling, the research tests both direct and mediating relationships among these factors. The results show that perceived infrastructural support strongly predicts DSO engagement and digital skills, underscoring the centrality of structural readiness in digital transition processes. In contrast, digital skills do not significantly predict engagement, and no mediating effect is observed. The findings suggest that infrastructural conditions have a more significant impact on DSO participation than individual digital skills. Uneven infrastructure limits the effectiveness of digital competencies. The study recommends an infrastructure-first approach to DSO implementation, followed by focused skill-building. It also encourages future research on integrating geospatial infrastructure data and cross-platform digital skills.

Institutions

• Robert Gordon University

  Scotland, Aberdeen

Categories

Licence