Accepting the Internet-of-Things in our homes: The role of user skills

• Published in: Telematics and informatics 2019-03, Vol.36, p.147-156
• Main Authors: de Boer, Pia S., van Deursen, Alexander J.A.M., van Rompay, Thomas J.L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acceptance; Digital divide; Digital inequality; Internet; Internet of Things; Internet skills; IoT skills; Skills; Technology acceptance; Technology Acceptance Model; Technology utilization
• ISSN: 0736-5853; 1879-324X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tele.2018.12.004

•Internet skills are conditional for obtaining Internet-of-Things (IoT) skills.•People’s IoT skill assessments are important for accepting the IoT.•IoT attitude does not affect actual use.•IoT use derives from pragmatic considerations: it seems useful. The present study investigates whether skills associated with operating the Internet-of-Things (IoT) contribute to the acceptance and (intended) usage of IoT technology and investigates to what extent these IoT skills are influenced by Internet skills. Extending the technology acceptance model (TAM), we conducted an online survey among 1356 respondents, a sample representative of the Dutch population. The results revealed that IoT skills directly contribute to IoT use and testify to the relevance of the TAM for predicting IoT acceptance and usage. However, people’s attitudes towards the IoT did not influence its acceptance, suggesting that users are not yet fully aware of how IoT use affects their privacy and quality of life in general. Furthermore, the results revealed that several Internet skills are an important precedent for IoT acceptance and usage. Mobile, information navigation, social, and creative Internet skills directly or indirectly contributed to the level of IoT skills. It can be concluded that people’s assessments of their IoT skills and that pragmatic considerations are important for its acceptance and that being skilled in using the IoT requires sufficient Internet skills.