Effect of Digital Literacy on the Use of Digital Technology

Abstract

The present study aimed to analyse the role of digital literacy on the intention to use digital technology by professionals in the creative industries. There is consensus among academic literature and governmental reports that creative activities are essential for economic and socio-cultural development. Therefore, there is a need for ongoing research on these segments of industry, such as how they absorb the impacts of digitalisation and improvements in digital technology in their creative and artistic expression. For this latter research, it is required to go beyond the organisational level since these industries are dynamic segments, mostly composed of microentrepreneurs and independent workers. Based on an extensive literature review, relationships between the constructs of digital literacy (DL), subjective norms (SNs), compatibility (CP), selfefficacy (SE), attitude towards use (ATT) and intention to use (INT) digital technology were examined for a sample of 163 European creative workers. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was performed and the results showed that DL significantly affects the intention to use digital technology. Moreover, the SEM results showed that the effects of SNs, SE and CP on the intention to use digital technology are mediated through the ATT. Based on the results, theoretical and practical implications are discussed.