Perceptions of Smartphone Use in Information Search by Rural Communities in Sarawak
Larissia Sandun, Ribka Alan, Nurul Hidayu Mat Jusoh · International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences · 2023
People living in the interior or rural areas are synonymous with poor living. Although there is development being done for this area, it is still unable to attract the people of this area from the valley of scarcity. The government has taken steps to bridge the digital divide in Malaysia, but the rural community is still facing low-speed internet network problems and the local community with low education levels will face limited digital literacy experience and far from technology. This study aims to evaluate the perceived usefulness and perceived ease to use of smartphones in the search for information and their relationship to the actual use of smartphones in the search for information by rural communities. This study uses quantitative methods using questionnaire to obtain the data. The survey respondents involved 254 people from the Lubok Antu Sarawak district. The results show that there is a significant relationship between the perceived usefulness and the perceived easy-to-use of smartphones in the search for information with the actual use of smartphones in the search for information by the rural community. It is hoped that this study will help the government understand the digital divide that exists between urban and rural areas. At the same time, this study proposes that more training on smartphone use be provided to the community and authorities on the rise of internet networks in the study area.