ABSTRACT

The Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to have a massive impact on people’s lives. However, the system’s complexity is also likely to make it an important topic of investigation in digital inequality research. Those who have the skills to use the IoT to its full potential and gain maximal benefits have a technology at hand that will have the power to increase their (already privileged) positions. Prerequisites for and impacts of user (consumer) engagement with the Internet of Things are becoming increasingly recognized as an important study area. To support related research and policy development, there is a need for more theoretically informed, reliable, and valid instruments that are able to measure what people do and gain from the IoT. In the current contribution, we focus on a key component in digital inclusion debates: digital skills. The development of the IoT Skills Scale (IoTSS) started with examining existing digital skills theory which led to a first instrument. We used a threefold approach to test the validity and reliability of the latent skill constructs and the corresponding items: cognitive interviews, followed by a first survey of IoT skills. During the final step, we examined the consistency of the IoT skills scales and their characteristics when measured in second survey among a representative sample survey of Dutch Internet users. The result is a theoretical and empirical consistent framework consisting of two types of IoT skills: operational and data IoT skills and strategic IoT skills.

摘要

物联网 (IoT) 预计将对人们的生活产生巨大影响。然而，系统的复杂性也可能使其成为数字不平等研究的重要研究课题。那些拥有充分利用物联网潜力并获得最大利益的技能的人手头有一项技术，将有能力增加他们（已经享有特权的）职位。用户（消费者）参与物联网的先决条件和影响正日益被视为一个重要的研究领域。为了支持相关研究和政策制定，需要有更多理论依据、可靠和有效的工具，能够衡量人们从物联网中所做的事情和获得的收益。在当前的贡献中，我们关注数字包容性辩论中的一个关键组成部分：数字技能。物联网技能量表 (IoTSS) 的开发始于检查现有的数字技能理论，从而产生了第一个工具。我们使用三重方法来测试潜在技能结构和相应项目的有效性和可靠性：认知访谈，然后是物联网技能的第一次调查。在最后一步中，我们在对荷兰互联网用户的代表性抽样调查中进行了第二次调查时，检查了物联网技能量表的一致性及其特征。结果是一个理论和经验一致的框架，由两种类型的物联网技能组成：我们使用三重方法来测试潜在技能结构和相应项目的有效性和可靠性：认知访谈，然后是物联网技能的第一次调查。在最后一步中，我们在对荷兰互联网用户的代表性抽样调查中进行了第二次调查时，检查了物联网技能量表的一致性及其特征。结果是一个理论和经验一致的框架，由两种类型的物联网技能组成：我们使用三重方法来测试潜在技能结构和相应项目的有效性和可靠性：认知访谈，然后是物联网技能的第一次调查。在最后一步中，我们在对荷兰互联网用户的代表性抽样调查中进行了第二次调查时，检查了物联网技能量表的一致性及其特征。结果是一个理论和经验一致的框架，由两种类型的物联网技能组成：运营和数据物联网技能和战略物联网技能。