Published in European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 9, Number 3 (2009)
Sustainability of Internet Usage:
A Study Among Malay Women
In A Sub-Urban Setting in Malaysia
Ali
Salman
School of Media and
Communication Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
(National University of
Malaysia)
E-mail: asalmanphd@gmail.com
Mobile: +6012 2075967; Fax:. 0060389213542
And
Mohd Safar Hasim
School of Media and
Communication Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
(National University of
Malaysia)
E-mail:
drmsafar@gmail.com
Tel:
0060389213867; Fax: 0060389213542
Abstract
This paper discusses sustainability of internet usage among Malay women
internet users. This study was based on a model derived from Roger’s diffusion
of innovation theory (2003). To determine sustainability, four variables were used
viz. indispensability, relevance, gratification and beneficial. This study used
the survey research for obtaining data. Some 178 Malay women respondents were
sampled from the Malay internet users in a sub-urban town in Malaysia. The
results of the study showed that interpersonal and social network and perceived
and realized benefits have significant positive effects on sustainability
of internet usage among the Malay women internet users. Also from the results two
factors had negative impact on sustainability of Internet usage, viz. security
and interruptions and cost of hardware and maintenance. There is
moderate level of sustainability across the Malay women internet users. Hence, the
factors which affect sustainability of internet usage should be given priority
in the implementation of internet and ICT related projects. In addition,
spreading greater awareness about the Internet and its potential is also vital.
The reasons for not having Internet connection at home should also be carefully
looked into. Knowledge of sustainability of internet usage is useful in closing
the gap in digital divide.
Keywords: Sustainability Factors, Digital Divide, Malay Women, Internet Usage, Malaysia
1.
Introduction
The use of Internet
by women over the years has increased and almost at the same level as their men
counterpart. A survey by Pew Internet Project between January and June in 2005
shows that 68% of men and 66% of women in USA are online. Women slightly outnumber
men in the internet population because they make up a greater share of the
overall U.S. population (Fallows, 2005). In terms of nature of usage, younger
women, especially girls have been found to be more frequent users of
communication technologies for social activities such as chat and emailing
(Kaare, Brandtzaeg, Heim, and Endestad, 2007). In fact some see the media,
communication and information flows as defining the logic and structure of
social relations, which affects almost every dimension of cultural life and
activity (Hutchins, 2008).
The trend is no different in Asia. Asia is
experiencing a growth in the percent of women Internet users where most of
these users are going online for communication purposes
(Fione Tan, 2002). A survey by NetValue revealed that the number of women using
webmail in Hong Kong increased 104.7% and the number of women using online chat
in Singapore grew 440%. In the month of December 2001, the number of women
using ecards also increased, up 79.1 percent in Hong Kong, up 64.9 percent in
Korea, 56.4 percent in Taiwan, and 36.9 percent in Singapore.
In some Asian countries, the percentage of online women compared to
the total of online population has almost risen to a 50% balance. For instance,
South Korea with 45%, Hong Kong with 44%, Singapore with 42% and Taiwan with
41% respectively (Fione Tan, 2002).
In Malaysia the women Internet users have used information and
communications technology (ICT) to break through the barriers of gender
discrimination and disability and find jobs that allow them to work from home
(AdvocacyNet, 2006). The number of Malaysian Internet users has increased over
the years reaching 51.4% making Malaysian women a force to reckon with as far
as Internet use is concern. Malaysia has surpassed Singapore which has less
than 50 percent of women Internet users while Indian and Pakistan have 20.3 and
18.2 percent respectively (Sanders, 2005).
With these developments it is therefore crucial to determine the factors that affect sustainability of Internet usage among Malay women. Moreover, since Malay women belong to the largest ethnic in Malaysia and since Malaysian government attaches importance to ICT, sustainability of internet usage among Malay women is worth studying. Malaysia is a multiracial country comprising of Malays, Chinese and Indians and other minor tribes mostly in the states of Sabah and Sarawak, the eastern part of the country. This study, therefore, has made an attempt to study the factors that affect sustainability of Internet usage among Malay women Internet users. It is a first step towards determining and understanding the factors that affect sustainability of Internet usage among women Internet users in Malaysia.
2. Sustainability
Sustainable
usage of the Internet can be looked at from many aspects, one of which is
indispensability of the Internet. In other words if the Internet is
indispensable to the users then its usage will be sustained. For any innovation
the continuum is from dispensability to indispensability, as it shows the
degree at which such innovation can withstand the test of time. The Internet is
said to have reached the indispensability level (Hoffman
et al 2004). How relevant an
innovation is to the user is also very important for it to be sustained.
According to Merkel (2005), the goal of sustaining technology use and learning
in community computing contexts is a difficult problem because often community groups
do not realize the extent to which technology has become tied to their mission.
In other words the community does not see the relevance of the technology in
their daily activities. In this regard the innovation must be of relevance to
the individual users for it to be sustained.
Usage of an innovation is likely to be sustained if the innovation
provides gratification to the users. The uses and gratifications perspective
posits that consumers of media actively attend to media for specific reasons
and to satisfy specific needs (Ebersole 1997). December (1996) identified
communication, interaction, and information as the three broad categories for
why people use the Internet. Therefore, gratifications obtained from using the
Internet are likely to provide the basis for sustainable usage of the Internet,
thus an aspect of sustainability. In addition to
being indispensable, relevant and gratifying, the Internet must also be
beneficial to the user in order for it to be sustained. For example, Laudon and Laudon (2000) asserted that Internet
provides so many benefits to the community such as global connectivity, ease of
use, low cost, and multimedia capabilities. According to Stewart (2003),
Internet is not just an addiction, but also beneficial.
It should be noted that the use of
Internet and its related technologies is an enabler in the development of a
country and therefore must be sustainable (Kramer & Derick 2002; Fischer
2000). Rogers sees sustainable usage as very important and made a very important
remark concerning it. According to him what good does a development program do
if it is not going to be there tomorrow or ten years from now, or if the
benefits will disappear in the next few years (Singhal & Domatob 2004). For
the Internet to stay and its benefits to be derived, there must be sustainable
usage.
It is highly likely that sustainability of usage of an innovation,
especially the Internet would help in solving the problem of digital divide.
When the usage of an innovation is sustainable then the issue of digital divide
will not exist. Thus addressing sustainability of Internet usage will in the
long run have positive implications on digital divide.
This paper will present a study on the sustainability of internet usage among Malay women Internet users in Kota Bharu, located in north-eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia. It is sub-urban in a geographical sense, and less developed economically compared to major towns in western part of Peninsular Malaysia. As a sub-urban town, not all houses are wired up through either telephone lines or wireless to receive internet services. But internet services are available nonetheless, at internet cafes, schools and university computer laboratories or offices where the respondents study or work. Consequently, people need not have internet connection in their homes to use the Internet and the services available therein. This paper will report results of the study concerning sustainability and its variables (indispensability, relevance, gratification and beneficial) among Malay women Internet users in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The study will also focus on the factors that affect sustainability of Internet usage viz. communication channels, perceived benefits, interpersonal and social network, moral issues, security and interruptions and cost of upgrading and maintenance among Malay women Internet users.
3. Theoretical
Perspective
Sustainable
usage of an innovation is very crucial as innovations are meant to stay and
help in the development of a particular community or people (Learner 1958; Bell
2001). Falling short of this will amount to waste of resources which could have
been channeled to other areas. To achieve sustainability certain factors do
play important role. Communication channels, for example, may provide the
needed and up-to-date information about an innovation. The channels include
radio, television, newspaper, book, magazine and interpersonal communication.
Moreover, people will continue to use an innovation if it they get
gratifications from using the said innovation. In other words the innovation
must provide satisfaction to the user.
The perceived and realized benefits
of the innovation, when met, are able to sustain the usage of the innovation by
the adopters. According to Rogers (2003), the perceived benefits must be
present and continuous. Perceived benefits of the Internet range from lowering
of cost both operational and transactional, ability to reach wider market and
information gathering capability and lower cost of sending email (Laudon &
Laudon 2001). Adoption by interpersonal and social network is another important
variable contributing to sustainable usage of an innovation. That is if a sizeable
number of the community to which we can relate to adopt the innovation, it may
lead to sustainable usage among this group since they can share information
about the innovation while communicating through it.
Therefore, from the theoretical perspective and as far as sustainable usage of the Internet is concerned, the following statement thus represent the underlying logic for designing and conducting this study. After adoption of an innovation, certain factors do play a role in bringing about sustainable usage and they include communication channels, perceived and realized benefits of the innovation and interpersonal and social network. These factors are likely to bring about sustainable usage of the Internet, in other words have positive effects on sustainability of usage. However, to provide reasons why the usage of innovations is discontinued or disrupted, factors that are believed to have negative effects on sustainable usage of the Internet are also looked into. The factors include moral and religious issues (Galander 2001; Rogerson & Begg 1999), security concerns and interruptions (Samsudin 2005; Perset 2005; Miller 2005; National Public Policy Workshop 2005; Laudon and Laudon 2000; Feher & Towell 1997; MyCERT 2008), and computer upgrade and maintenance costs (Baltac 2005; Rahmah 2001).
4. Methodology
The study used
the survey research method to obtain data from the Malay women internet users in
Kota Bharu to ascertain the factors which affect or influence sustainability of
internet usage. The study used purposive sampling focusing on the respondents
who are already using the Internet.
A questionnaire was used to collect data for this study. The
questionnaire consists of five sections viz. A, B, C, D and E. Section A of the
instrument was designed to collect data on demographic characteristics (gender,
age, working status, academic qualification, social status, monthly household
income, sources of information,
computer ownership). Section B of the instrument collected data on sources of
information for the respondents. While section C collected data on Usage of
computer and Internet and it is divided into C1 (computer usage) and C2
(Internet usage).
Section D is
on sustainability and has four variables with several items. D1 asks
questions on Indispensabilty, D2 is on relevance, D3 has
questions on gratifications and D4 on benefits (beneficial) of the Internet
Section E measures the variables that affect
sustainability of Internet usage. There are six variables (E1 to E6). E1 (communication
channels), E2 (perceived and realised benefits of the Internet), and E3 (social
and interpersonal network), E4 (security concerns
and interruptions), E5 (moral issues) and E6 (computer upgrading and
maintenance cost). Each of the variables has items ranging from four to seven
items per variable.
The questionnaires were distributed among the Malay women internet users. Some 178 Malay women internet users were sampled and thus data from the 178 Malay women respondents were analyzed for this purpose.
5. Data Analysis
The data was
analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (
- A general descriptive statistics of the population of the
study, including frequencies, means and standard deviation.
- Reliability test was used to test the reliability of the main
variables in the study. Cronbach’s alpha was used to test the reliability
of the variables.
- Multiple regression (stepwise) was used to explore the linear
relationship between the predictor and criteria variables and to measure
the effect and impact of each predictor variable.
6. Results
The result is presented in two parts. The first part present the results on the dependent variables viz. sustainability of Internet usage while the second part present the results on the factors viz. independent variables, affecting sustainability of Internet usage among the Malay women internet users.
6.1. Profile of the Women Internet users
6.1.1. Demographic Background of the Women Internet
Users
63 (35%) of the
women Internet users are aged 19 to 29 and form the majority. This is followed
by 40 to 49 age group which consist of 59 (33%) of the women Internet users. 42
(24%) of the respondents belong to the 30 to 39 age group. The age group with
the smallest women Internet users are the 50 and above and they represent 14
(8%) of the respondents.
Majority of the women respondents, 121 (68%), are employed. 51
(28.7%) are students while 6 (3.4%) are self employed. The students comprise of
matriculation, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Academically, majority of the respondents, 81 (45.54%) have SPM
(School Leaving Certificate equivalent to G.C.E. O’ Level). This is followed by
those with bachelor’s degree, 45 (25.3%). 31 (17.4%) of the respondents have
diploma, 10 (5.6%) have masters and only 1 (0.6%) respondents have a PhD. The
result represents fairly educated women respondents. It also shows that there
is wide use of Internet across different educational backgrounds among the
Malay women in Kota Bharu.
In terms of monthly household income, 55 (43.3%) out of the 127 working women respondents earn between RM2000 and 3000. This means the working respondents can be categorized as belonging to the middle class in Malaysia (Tori 2003).
6.1.2. Information
Source for the Women Internet users
Newspaper
emerged the main source of information with 93.8% of the respondents using it
as a source of information. This is followed by Internet (90.4%). TV was the
third main source with 88.8% and magazine is the fourth main source with 71.3%
while radio was fifth with 70.2%. Book was the least main source of information
with 58.4%. This is an interesting discovery as Internet has over taken
television and radio as main source of information for the women respondents.
This may be due to the dynamic and interactive nature of the Internet.
However, when the respondents were
asked to rank the sources of information, television overtook Internet as the
second ranking for the respondents. Newspaper was ranked number one. In fact TV
was very close to Newspaper, sort of neck to neck. Internet was ranked third
and radio was fourt
6.1.3. Computer
Usage among the Women Internet Users
Computer ownership among the respondents was very high as 91.6% of the respondents have their own computer. Of the 8.4% respondents who do not own a computer, a large number use computer at the office (6.2%). This is followed by 3.9% who use computer at the cyber cafés.
6.1.4. Internet Usage among the Women Internet Users
More than two thirds of the respondents, 138
(77.5%) acquired their Internet usage skills through informal learning that is
self taught and learning from friends. More than half, 104 (58.4%) of the
respondents have Internet connection at home.
Of the 74 (41.6%) respondents who
had no Internet connection at home, 34 (19.1%) gave expensive monthly access
fees as the reason for not having Internet connection at home. 32 (18%) said
they had no telephone line. There were those who were afraid of their children
being exposed to pornography and they made up 21 (11.8%) of the respondents who
had no Internet connection at home. The lack of computer at home was also one
of the reasons as 16 (9.0%) said they had no computer at home. This did not
mean that they had no computer at all. Some of the respondents, especially the
students use their computers or laptops at college or university.
Of the six places where the
respondents usually use the Internet, 113 (63.5%) use the Internet at the
office and computer laboratory at college or university. 104 (58.4%) of the
respondents use the Internet at home, while 57 (32%) use at Cyber Café.
More than two-thirds of the
respondents, 143 (80.3%) have been using the Internet for two to eight years.
On the nature of usage, 112 (62.9%) of the respondents said they have been
using the Internet on and off, while 66 (37.1%) said their usage has been
continuous.
About two-thirds of the
respondents, 132 (74.2%) use the Internet one to three hours a day. Another
interesting finding is on the future usage of Internet by the respondents where
66 (37.1%) of the respondents said they will increase their usage of the
Internet, while 32 (18.0%) said they will maintain their usage. 76 (42.7%) said
they were not sure.
Email is the main purpose of using the Internet with 147 (82.6%) of the respondents using the Internet for this purpose. This is similar to the finding by eOneNet.com that in in Asia, more women are going online for communications purposes (Fione Tan, 2002). This is followed closely by reading newspaper and searching for information, 137(77%) while work related usage was third main purpose with 112 (62.9%) using the Internet for this purpose. The least purpose of usage was shopping online, with 30 (16.9%) respondents and credit card payment, 30 (16.9%).
6.2. Sustainability variables
The results on sustainability were described based on the following variables and the items under them viz. indispensability, relevance, gratification and beneficial. A cut-off point was used to determine the satisfactory level for both the variables and the items under them. From the results of the cut-off point all the variables and the items were satisfactory with some of the items very satisfactory. The respondents were asked to rate the items on a 1 – 7 likert scale. A mean of 3 and above is considered satisfactory and 5 and above is very satisfactory.
6.2.1. Indispensability
As in table 1
the computed mean for indispensability was 29.5 which is satisfactory according
to the cut-off point set. The 8 items, as in Table 1, under indispensability
were all satisfactory with one (I must use the Internet because it makes my
life easy) reaching the very satisfactory level which is a mean of 5.1. The
remaining items viz. Important part of my daily routine (4.4), Important as telephone, electricity, radio and television (4.5), Access
e-government (4.4), Access e-banking (3.9),
For
e-commerce (3.1) and For bill payment (3.7)
are all satisfactory. The computed SD for
indispensability is 8.8 which is lower than the computed mean indicating the
absence of outliers.
Table 1: Indispensability
(Means and Standard Deviation [SD])
_____________________________________________________________________________
Mean score SD Level
_____________________________________________________________________
Indispensability
I must use the Internet as…
Makes my life easy 5.1 1.5 Very Satisfactory
Important part of my daily
routine 4.4 1.6 Satisfactory
Important as telephone,
electricity, 4.5 1.6 Satisfactory
radio and television
Access e-government 4.4 1.8 Satisfactory
Access e-banking 3.9 1.8 Satisfactory
For e-commerce 3.1 1.6 Satisfactory
For bill payment 3.7 1.9 Satisfactory
_____________________________________________________________________
Computed mean Computed SD
__________________________________________
29.5 8.8
__________________________________________
6.2.2. Relevance
The computed
mean for relevance (Table 2) was 33.6 which is satisfactory according to the
cut-off point set. The 7 items under relevance were all satisfactory with two (I
can use the Internet Internet as an information source as library, TV,
radio; I can use the Internet to interact with the outside world) reaching the very satisfactory level which is a mean of 5.4 and
5.1 respectively. The remaining items viz. Internet for
communication as telephone (4.8), Internet for entertainment (4.4), Internet
to get in touch with my family and relatives (4.2), Internet to get in
touch with my friends and colleagues (4.8) and Internet to access
e-government and other e-services (4.6) are all satisfactory. The computed SD for relevance is 9.2 which is lower than the
computed mean indicating the absence of outliers.
Table 2: Relevance (Means and Standard Deviation [SD]
_______________________________________________________________________________
Mean score SD Level
_____________________________________________________________________
Relevance
I can use the...
Internet for communication 4.8 1.6
Satisfactory
as telephone
Internet as an information source 5.4 1.4 Very Satisfactory
as library, TV, radio
Internet to interact with the 5.1 1.6 Very Satisfactory
outside world
Internet for
entertainment 4.4 1.7 Satisfactory
Internet to get in touch with my 4.2 1.9 Satisfactory
family and relatives
Internet to get in touch with my 4.8 1.6 Satisfactory
friends and colleagues
Internet to access e-government 4.6 1.7 Satisfactory
and other e-services
____________________________________________________________________
Computed mean Computed SD
__________________________________________
33.6 9.2
__________________________________________
6.2.3. Gratification
The computed mean for gratification (Table 3) was 32.2 which is satisfactory according to the cut-off point set. The 7 items under gratification were all satisfactory with two (I am satisfied with Information from digital newspapers on the Internet; On the whole I am satisfied using the Internet) reaching the very satisfactory level which is a mean of 5.0 and 5.2 respectively. The remaining items viz. Entertainment (4.4), Socialization (4.0), E-mail Communication (4.9), Services (online banking, shopping, flight booking) (4.2) and Chatting (eg. MSN, YM) (4.2) are all satisfactory. The computed SD for gratification is 8.5 which is lower than the computed mean indicating the absence of outliers.
Table 3: Gratification (Means and Standard Deviation [SD])
_____________________________________________________________________
Mean score SD Level
_____________________________________________________________________
Gratification
I am
satisfied with ….
Information from
digital 5.0 1.5
Very Satisfactory
newspapers on the Internet
Entertainment 4.4 1.6 Satisfactory
(games, songs download)
Socialization (meeting people) 4.0 1.5 Satisfactory
E-mail Communication 4.9 1.5 Satisfactory
Services (online banking,
shopping, 4.2 1.6 Satisfactory
flight booking)
Chatting (eg. MSN, YM) 4.2 1.8 Satisfactory
On the whole I
am satisfied 5.2 1.4 Very Satisfactory
using the Internet)
_____________________________________________________________________
Computed mean Computed SD
______________________________________________
32.2 8.5
______________________________________________
6.2.4. Beneficial
The computed mean for beneficial (Table 4) was 62.5 which is satisfactory according to the cut-off point set. The thirteen items under beneficial were all satisfactory with 5 (save time as I don’t have to queue for services, save time on travelling to destination for services, I can do things faster using Internet, I can do things with less effort, easier to do my activities online) reaching the very satisfactory level which is a mean of 5.0 and above. The remaining items viz. save time on parking (4.2), save money on travelling to destination (4.5), I can save money on parking (4.3), I can buy goods online (e-shopping) (4.0), I can get information on health (4.9), I can transact with government departments (4.7), I can do banking online (e-banking) (4.6) and Internet makes my life stress free (4.7) are all satisfactory. The computed SD for gratification is 15.7 which is lower than the computed mean indicating the absence of outliers.
Table
4: Beneficial
(Means and Standard Deviation [SD])
Mean score SD Level
_____________________________________________________________________
Beneficial
The Internet is beneficial to me
because…
Save time as I don’t have to 5.1 1.5 Very Satisfactory
queue for services
Save time on travelling to 5.0 1.5 Very
Satisfactory
destination for services
Save time on parking 4.2 1.9 Satisfactory
Save money on travelling 4.5 1.7 Satisfactory
to destination
I can save money on
parking 4.3 1.8 Satisfactory
I can buy goods online
(e-shopping) 4.0 1.6 Satisfactory
I can get information on
health 4.9 1.5 Satisfactory
I can transact with government 4.7 1.6 Satisfactory
departments
I can do banking online
(e-banking) 4.6 1.6 Satisfactory
I can do things faster
using Internet 5.4 1.4 Very Satisfcatory
I can do things with less
effort 5.3 1.3 Very Satisfactory
Easier to do my activities
online 5.2 1.4 Very Satisfactory
Internet makes my life
stress free 4.7 1.5 Satisfactory
_____________________________________________________________________
Computed mean Computed SD
________________________________________
62.5 15.7
________________________________________
From the results of this study as the descriptive statistics have shown, there is sustainability of Internet usage among the Malay women users. The statistical computed means of the sustainability variables viz. indispensability, relevance, gratification and beneficial are satisfactory. This is also true with their computed standard deviations. The computed standard deviations are not larger than the statistical means, meaning there are no outliers. This is an indication that there is sustainability of Internet usage among the respondents. It can be deduced that the Internet has become indispensable, relevant, gratifying and beneficial to the respondents thereby making it sustainable.
6.3. Factors Affecting Sustainability of
Internet Usage Among Malay Women
Internet Users
What are
interesting about this study are the factors which are seen to have effects on
sustainability of usage of the Internet among the Malay women, especially those
factors which have positive effects, where two of the three predictor factors
viz. interpersonal and social network and perceived and realized benefits
influenced sustainability of Internet usage. From the regression analysis the
two factors have impact and contributed to the variance in sustainability. This
can be seen from their beta, t value and sig. p, as follows: interpersonal
and social network (Beta=.532, t=8.365, p=.000); perceived and realized
benefits (Beta=.296, t=5.173, p=.000). The two factors contributed 66.9
percent of the variations on sustainability with Adjusted R Square of .669.
On the factors likely to have negative effects on sustainability,
two factors had negative impact on sustainability of Internet usage, viz. security
and interruptions (Beta=-.176, t=-3.165, p=.002) and cost of hardware
and maintenance (Beta=-.106, t=-2.104, p=.037). The two factors negatively
contributed 1.6 percent of the variations on sustainability with Adjusted R
Square of .016.
Therefore, together, all the four predictors contributed 68.5
percent of the variations on sustainability with Adjusted R Square of .685.
From the results, perceived and realized benefits and interpersonal
and social network had the highest coefficient value. This means that the
influence by and the information giving by perceived and realized benefits and
interpersonal and social network such as colleagues and e-government had a
positive effect on sustainability of Internet usage among the women Internet users.
Also, looking at the Beta value, it was confirmed and evident that
interpersonal and social network was the best predictor that can positively
influence sustainability of Internet usage. Additionally, by examining the t values the best significant predictor
of sustainability of Internet usage was interpersonal and social network as it
has the highest t value.
Therefore, interpersonal and social network is a very powerful and significant predictor for sustainability of Internet usage. Likewise, security and interruptions was the best predictor that can negatively influence sustainability of Internet usage.
7. Discussions
Internet usage in Malaysia began around 1992. The Internet, which started with a simple browsing and e-mail experience, has now turned into a mechanism to creatively disseminate information. It has complemented the already existing mass media and as this study revealed the Internet has overtaken radio and television as a source of information and at par with newspaper. According to Hoffman et al. (2004) “the adoption rate of the Internet has exceeded that of earlier mass communication technologies by several magnitudes,” making it an “irreversible” innovation. Trends about usage have been studied by other researchers. However, what is lacking is the monitoring of sustainability of usage. This makes it appropriate to monitor sustainability of Internet usage among the women users as the number of women users online is increasing. This study, therefore, apart from determining the trend and purpose of usage of the Internet, was also able to determine sustainability of Internet usage among women the Malays in general and the factors which have influence on the sustainability of Internet usage among Malay women.
7.1. Sustainability of Internet Usage
From the results
of this study, there is sustainability of Internet usage among the Malay women internet
users. The statistical computed means of the sustainability variables viz.
indispensability, relevance, gratification and beneficial are satisfactory.
This is also true with their computed standard deviations. The computed
standard deviations are not larger than the statistical means, meaning there
are no outliers. The findings of the study have therefore proven that there is
sustainability of Internet usage among the respondents as it is satisfactory.
The result of this study, therefore, has lent support to the contention by
Hoffman et al. (2004) that the Internet has reached the indispensability level.
According to Hoffman et al. (2004) the idea of
indispensability is that the Internet has become so embedded in the daily fabric of
people’s lives that they simply cannot live without it. A study by
Rahmah Hashim and Becker (2001) is also congruent to the findings of this
study. Their study shows most Malaysians find the World Wide Web (WWW) and
e-mail facilities of the Internet most indispensable and that the availability
of online services is welcomed and the Internet has arrived and will be here to
stay.
It further lent support to Merkel et al. (2005) that an innovation
must be of relevance to the individual users for it to be sustained. The
statistical computed mean for relevance in this study is at the satisfactory
level, which is acceptable. Shyla Sangaran (NST 2008), a tech writer for over
11 years, contends that there are huge areas in the lives and experiences of
old and young people in which the Internet makes a unique contribution to them.
In other words the Internet has become indispensable to the lives and
experiences of both the young and old alike.
Moreover, as the result of this study revealed, other studies also
revealed that the usage of an innovation is likely to be sustained if the
innovation provides gratification to the users. In this study the Internet was
found to provide gratification meaning the Malay users were satisfied using the
Internet. According to Ebersole (1997), the uses and gratifications perspective
posits that consumers of media actively attend to media for specific reasons
and to satisfy specific needs. December (1996) identified satisfaction from communication,
interaction, and information as the three broad categories for why people use
the Internet. Similar to this study the communication, interaction and
information capabilities of the Internet were gratifying to the Malay users.
Furthermore, an innovation
must also be beneficial to the user in other for it to be sustained. Laudon and Laudon (2000) asserted that Internet provides so many
benefits to the community such as global connectivity, ease of use, low cost,
and multimedia capabilities. This study has provided support to Laudon and
Laudon that the Internet is beneficial as the Malay Internet users attest to
this fact. According to Stewart (2003), Internet is not just an addiction, but
also beneficial. There are people who think that the Internet is just only an
addiction.
From the discussions, therefore, the Internet is indispensable, relevant, gratifying and beneficial to the Malay women internet users. The usage of Internet is therefore sustainable as far as the Malay women Internet users are concerned.
7.2. Factors which Influence Sustainability of
Internet Usage
The results of
the study have shown that there are factors which influence sustainability of
Internet usage. Four of the factors viz. interpersonal and social network (beta
= .532), perceived and realized benefits (beta = .296), security concerns and
interruptions (beta = -.176) and cost of maintenance and hardware (beta =
-.106) have influence on sustainability of Internet usage among the Malay
women.
From the results, therefore, the importance of colleagues, friends
and place of work which form part of the interpersonal and social network
cannot be denied as far as sustainability of Internet usage is concern due to
their influence. The people in Kelantan are known to believe information they
get from their friends and colleagues and as the study shows they made use of
these interpersonal channels to spread information about the Internet, which in
turn influence sustainability of Internet usage. Looking at the literature of
past research, this study supports the study by Coleman, Katz and Menzel (1957)
about the adoption by physicians of the new drug tetracycline. Their research
finding revealed that social network can help bring about adoption as similar
to this study where social network helps in sustainability of usage of the
Internet. Their study categorically stated that the more embedded into the
physician social network the physicians were, the more likely they were to
adopt the drug and do it early.
Thus as this study revealed, apart from its effect on adoption,
interpersonal and social networks also have influence on sustainability of
Internet usage. What this means is that all the available social networks are
important in influencing sustainability as far as Internet usage is concern. As
in Malaysia, in dealing with government agencies the citizens are encouraged to
use the Internet to download forms and do other activities online. Utilities
and services companies, as part of the social network, are also making their presence
felt online. One can now enjoy online Internet banking which provides services
ranging from paying of bills to buying prepaid reloads. With all these services
in place, it is therefore obvious that interpersonal and social network
influence sustainability of Internet usage among the Malay women users.
This study also revealed that the perceived and realized benefits,
which when present, influence sustainability of Internet usage. This includes
such benefits like the communication capability of the Internet, the speed in
sending email coupled with information gathering capability of the Internet,
among others. Similar to this study where the perceived and realized benefits
influenced sustainability of Internet usage, the perceived and realized benefits
were also seen to have effects on adoption of the Internet as study by Rogers
(2000) revealed. On the rapid adoption of the Internet, Rogers (2000) observes
that the perceived attributes of the Internet have played a crucial role in
this. This is because the Internet is perceived as having considerable relative
advantages; Internet is faster, better, cheaper, compared to the telephone,
postal letters, telegrams, or fax letters.
Moreover, as this study revealed, security issues must not be taken
lightly as they have influence on sustainability of usage. Computer virus
attack is one such threat. Despite the availability of antivirus software,
virus attack still remains a big threat as new viruses are discovered.
According to the National ICT Security & Emergency Response Centre (NST
2006), hacking still poses a threat in Malaysia, though the number of reported
cases has gone down from 301 in 2002 to 86 in 2005. The number of hacking
threat for 2003 and 2004 was 276 and 145 respectively. According to the report
by fortinet (NST 2006), ICT survey organization, Malaysia is ranked tenth among
the top ten countries reporting computer virus infection in February 2006. This
could be the reason why only few of the respondents use the Internet for
e-shopping as it involves the use of credit card and this might not be secured.
In fact Laudon and Laudon (2000) writing on the issue of security and privacy,
argue that Internet-based systems are even more vulnerable than those in
private networks because the Internet was designed to be open to everyone. Many
people have the skill and technology to intercept and spy on streams of
electronic information as they flow through the Internet and all other open
networks.
As a result valuable data that might be intercepted include credit
card numbers and names, private personnel data, marketing plans, sales
contracts, product development and pricing data, negotiations between
companies, and other data that might be of value to competition. They therefore
argue that concern over the security of electronic payments is one reason that
electronic commerce has not grown more rapidly on the Net. The issue of
security has been dragging for long as evident from the findings by Feher and
Towell (1997) that the Internet is not yet secure enough for corporate
communications and the most common Internet applications used were E-mail,
research, and the downloading of software.
Congruent to the study by Rishi (2005) on the importance of
affordability of Internet access cost and improvement of quality of services
for increasing Internet growth, this study also revealed that cost is an
important factor on sustainability of Internet usage. In fact some of the women
Internet users did not have Internet connection at home because of high
Internet access fee which is an aspect of cost.
This study also paid attention to some of the items under the
factors, especially those factors which have higher influence on sustainability
of Internet usage viz. perceived and realised benefits, interpersonal and
social network, security concerns and interruptions and cost of upgrade and
maintenance.
For perceived and realized benefits of the Internet, speed in
sending email, information gathering capability and lower cost of sending email
were the highest in terms of influencing sustainability of Internet usage.
These aspects of the Internet have made it stands out among the other media. In
today’s world speed in communicating is very crucial couple with the need to
get information without delay. This is possible and at a lower cost using the
Internet. It is therefore obvious why the three items influence sustainability
of Internet usage among the users. Furthermore, place of work / university /
college, access to utility services (TM, TNB, TELCOS, and Postal), access to government
homepage, friends and colleagues were shown to influence sustainability of
Internet usage. In other words adoption and usage of the Internet by all of the
above especially place of work, university or college which is part of the
interpersonal and social network contributes a great deal to sustainability of
Internet usage among the youth.
It is also obvious from this study that virus attacks,
homepage becoming inaccessible and frequent server down pose a threat to
sustainability of Internet usage. One may say there are antivirus software, but
the problem is new viruses keep on appearing and it is not easy, especially for
individual and non-corporate users to keep updated with the new software hence,
the reason for concern about the issues of security among the users.
This study also revealed that moral issues were not a threat to sustainability of Internet usage as they have no influence on the variance of sustainability. What this means is that users have come to terms with the immoral content on the Internet and thus do not see those contents as worrying, after all there are more to Internet than say pornography. Therefore as distinct from the observation by Galander (2001) and Begg (2006) that Muslims are worried over new innovations due to moral and religious concern, the respondents in this study who are Muslim women, did not see any problem with moral issues as it did not affect sustainability of Internet usage. It might be that the Malay women are not very much bothered or do not see any major problem regarding moral issues as far as the usage and sustainability of Internet usage is concern. However, moral issues still do pose a problem when it comes to having Internet connection at home as some of them gave this as a reason for not having Internet connection at home.
8. Implications of the Study
This study has
given support to the theory of diffusion of innovation, which provided the
basis for the proposed model of this study. The theory was developed by Everett Rogers and
was used to study how new innovations are adopted over a period of time (Rogers
2003). Rogers talks about the important of perceived
benefits and realized benefits of the innovation, which when met, is able to
sustain the usage of the innovation by the adopters. According to Rogers
(2003), the perceived benefits must be present and continuous. Perceived
benefits of the Internet range from lowering of cost both operational and
transactional, ability to reach wider market and information gathering
capability and lower cost of sending email (Laudon & Laudon 2001). This
study also has proven the effects of these benefits on sustainability of
Internet usage.
Furthermore, this study has also proven the existence of
sustainability of Internet usage among the Malay women internet users and the
predictors of sustainability implying the importance of including
sustainability in the innovation adoption decision model.
Therefore, what is derived from this study is very important for the
theory of diffusion, especially the innovation decision process model as it
helps extend the theories further to include sustainability. Scholars and
academicians interested in the field of diffusion of innovations will benefit
from the inclusion of sustainability to the diffusion model.
The study also has implications on
methodology. As distinct from other similar studies on
the Internet, this study focused on Malay women. The setting of the respondents
is semi urban. The respondents were categorized into four groups to prevent one
group dominating the others. This provided for a balanced data which is representative
of the population.
Latiffah and Samsudin (2001) researching on Internet usage among
adolescent, conducted a survey on 2,300 young people between the ages of 13 to
25 in a period of six months to determine the extent of media penetration. Data
from 516 adolescents were used to present the findings. This study is distinct in the sense that data
was collected from adults 19 years of age and above. There was no limit set for
the age. There were respondents whose age was 50 and above.
Musa Abu Hassan and Awatif Awang (2001) in their descriptive study
on what female and male chatters do on the net used the survey method for data
collection. Their study was focused on IRC and the respondents were selected
from those who had been involved in on-line chat. A purposive sample of 60
female and 60 male chatters were selected and given self administered
questionnaires. The questionnaires were mainly distributed at selected computer
centres and cyber cafes in the Klang Valley. The questionnaire is structured into
three sections. The first section deals with the respondents’ background
information. Section two asks about the respondents’ access to Internet
facilities. Finally, the last section solicits their interactions and
experiences on the Internet, especially the IRC. There were also questions that
require the respondents to state their level of agreement on some given
statements. Collected data were then processed and analysed using the SPSSx
programme. Mostly descriptive statistical technique was employed for data
analysis and summarisation. They also made use of chi-square to determine the
significant difference between the female and male netters.
Similar to the above, this study also employed the survey method.
However, this study used purposive quota sampling, choosing respondents
randomly. The data was analysed using the SPSS programme. However, in this
study inferential analysis was given prominence.
Thus this study has implied that in using the survey method, age 19
years and above should be included as respondents. In addition, using purposive
quota sampling will help get the target group and also help in making the
sampling a representative of the population.
Studies by Rogers (1973; 1976; 1995; 2003) have proven that
perceived and realized benefits have an important role to play in attracting
users and sustaining their usage of an innovation. The result of this study has
proven that perceived and realized benefits have significant positive effect on
sustainability of usage of the Internet. Besides perceived and realized
benefits, interpersonal and social networks also have positive effect on
sustainability of Internet usage.
This study implies that to avoid disruptions on the usage of the
Internet, security concerns and interruptions and cost of maintenance and
hardware, should be of concern and need to be monitored as they have
significant negative effect on sustainability of Internet usage thereby
negatively contributing to sustainability.
The results of this study have implication towards digital divide.
In short when there is sustainability of usage, there is likely to be a
narrowing or closing of the gap thus doing away with the divide. High
sustainability will eventually lead to narrowing and subsequently removing the
divide.
"The term 'digital
divide' describes the fact that the world can be divided into people who do and
people who don't have access to - and the capability to use - modern
information technology, such as the telephone, television, or the Internet. The
digital divide exists between those in cities and those in sub-urban areas. It
also exists between the educated and the uneducated, between economic classes,
and, globally, between the more and less industrially developed nations"
(OITP, 2000).
"The digital
divide is the "Differences based on race, gender, geography, economic
status, and physical ability: In access to information, the Internet and other
information technologies and services. In skills, knowledge, and abilities to
use information, the Internet and other technologies" (OITP, 2000).
To see the relationship between sustainability and digital divide
the prerequisites of sustainability has to be looked into. Sustainability of
usage comes about when the Internet meet certain requirements or when certain
variables are taken care of. Aspects such as that of indispensability,
relevance, gratification and beneficial of the Internet are very crucial in
this context. When these are not present, sustainability will be affected and
in the long run leads to discontinuing usage and the result is the widening or
creation of the gap in the digital divide as users will eventually become
non-users and automatically be on the other side of the divide consisting of
non-users.
However, if the usage is sustained there will be continuous usage
and thus those who were previously on the other side of the divide of non-users
will also be attracted through interpersonal and social networks as the present
study has shown that this variable has effect on sustainability of internet
usage among the Malay women internet users. In addition, in order to strengthen
sustainability, factors that have negative effect on sustainability of usage
such as cost of maintenance and hardware and security concerns should be given
attention. This could be done by reducing the security threats and bringing the
cost of maintenance and hardware to a minimum. Falling short of these measures,
will lead to lower or lack of sustainability, especially among the Malay women
internet users and in turn widen the digital divide as lower sustainability may
eventually bring about discontinuity of usage of the internet.
Since cost is one of the negative factors affecting sustainability
of internet usage as far as the Malay women internet users are concerned,
couple with the fact that the people in the sub-urban areas have lower income
as compared to the people in urban towns and cities, sustainability will help
resolve the sub-urban-urban and economic divide. So for the internet to be
sustainable and consequently narrow or close the digital divide, internet must
be made affordable and at the same time beneficial, gratifying, relevant and if
possible indispensable for the sub-urban people as in the case of this study.
The respondents in this study have need for the Internet since they are all users and from the study, as stated earlier, sustainability of Internet usage is satisfactory among the respondents. Moreover, economically, they belong to the middle class and thus they are not poor. However, there is a tendency for digital divide to occur if attention is not given to the issue of cost of maintenance and hardware which has negative effect on sustainability.
9. Conclusion
In general, this
paper has discussed sustainability of Internet among Malay women internet users
as far as the issue of sustainability of Internet usage is concern. Moreover,
discussion is also focused on the sustainability variables and the factors that
influence sustainability of Internet usage. Therefore, the researchers hope
that the results of this study become useful to all relevant authorities,
especially those responsible for Internet initiatives, in an effort to improve
sustainability of Internet usage.
One aspect which needs attention is that the implementation of every
ICT (Internet) initiative needs to be focused not only on providing Internet
facility, but on how to sustain its usage. This is where the role of
interpersonal and social network and the other factors become very crucial in
sustaining the usage of the Internet.
In addition to taking the security
and interruptions and cost of maintenance and hardware seriously, especially
among the Malay women Internet users, spreading greater awareness about the
Internet and its potential among the masses is also vital. Moreover, the
reasons for not having Internet connection at home as revealed by the study
should also be carefully looked into.
Therefore, this study has suggested that the factors having effects on sustainability of Internet usage should not be overlooked in the implementation process of Internet and Internet related projects such as e-community, telecentres, e-rakyat and several others, in order to bring about sustainability of usage, especially with respect to Malay women Internet users.
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