Title:
Lost in mobile? Exploring the mobile internet digital divide among Chinese college students
Authors:
Lian Wang
School of Economics and Management, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, China
&
Chun Liu
School of Public Affairs and Administration, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
Published:
International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 15 June 2021
Abstract:
Mobile has become the primary mode of Internet access for many people. Existing studies have generally indicated that mobile Internet represents an inferior substitute for traditional PC-based Internet. In particularly, mobile-only users are often found to be the most disadvantaged. This paper explores the usage characteristics of multimodal users by differentiating mobile-reliant users, who primarily rely on mobile phones to access the Internet, and non-mobile-reliant users, who primarily use PCs to access the Internet, and investigates the socioeconomic characteristics of mobile-reliant users, the association of the access preference and usage patterns, and whether a new type of digital divide has emerged. Based on data collected in a major public research university in southwest China, this study demonstrates that mobile-reliant users are not disadvantaged compared to non-mobile-reliant users in terms of usage, with the development of advanced mobile technology and the wealth of mobile-friendly content available therein. Practical implications for higher educators are also discussed.