台灣偏鄉地區第二層次數位落差之研究

A Study of the Second-Level Digital Divide in Rural Taiwan

王憲正(Hsien-Cheng Wang)

指導教授 ： 陳志萍

元智大學/資訊學院/資訊傳播學系/碩士(2012年)

https://doi.org/10.6838/YZU.2012.00297

摘要

過去二十年間，許多學者及研究強調第一層次數位落差扮演著非常重要的角色，並將數位落差定義為資訊窮人與資訊富人物質近用的差別，如此二分法限制我們對於使用科技的瞭解，僅可判斷誰能與誰不能使用網路而已。然而，隨著物質近用的落差正逐年縮小，相關報告顯示數位落差並未因此而消失，反而出現更明顯的使用落差。其中，文獻回顧顯示年齡愈高數位技能則愈差，說明年齡面向的數位落差難以消弭。有鑑於過去研究不均衡之狀態，本研究以超越近用的觀點，聚焦於探索偏鄉民眾的第二層次落差現象，特別針對偏鄉中高齡族群深入探討，藉此瞭解影響中高齡達到技能近用與使用近用的助力為何。

為準確測量使用者的數位技能，本研究提供免費資訊設備供北中台灣數位化較差的宜蘭縣、南投縣以及雲林縣三偏鄉地區民眾使用，採取群集抽樣法收集1,108位使用者紀錄，第一階段藉由內容分析法挖掘影響偏鄉地區民眾技能近用與使用近用兩層面的影響因素。第二階段深入訪談法，訪談對象以三縣市電腦使用率及上網率最高的宜蘭縣作為研究場域，訪談14位宜蘭縣偏鄉中高齡民眾，以van Dijk近用數位科技的累積與循環模式，逐步分析偏鄉地區第二層次數位落差問題。

研究結果顯示，使用時間的長短為影響整體偏鄉民眾技能近用的主要因素，偏鄉中高齡部分則以性別差異擁有不同的數位技能；其次，整體偏鄉民眾的使用近用層面，會受到性別與年齡的差異而有所不同，惟性別差異已改善許多，性別差異在偏鄉中高齡民眾使用近用上已無明顯的落差。最後，本研究修正van Dijk的累積與循環模式，提出研究結果為偏鄉中高齡民眾解決第一層次數位落差問題後，儘管其技能近用表現不佳，但透過資訊代理人，弱勢的偏鄉中高齡民眾也能達到使用近用境界，落實消弭第二層次數位落差的期待。本研究主要貢獻有二：在學術面，將技能近用定義為資訊技術能力、資訊安全能力及資訊應用能力三項能力，且導入資訊代理人概念於van Dijk的累積與循環模式中，可提供第二層次數位落差後續研究做為基礎；在政策面，建議政府未來要重新推動資訊代理人政策，輔導對象應著重在偏鄉地區與中高齡兩族群上，提供有關單位未來制訂數位落差政策一個新思維。

關鍵字

第二層次數位落差 ； van Dijk累積與循環模式 ； 技能近用 ； 使用近用 ； 資訊代理人

並列摘要

Over the past two decades, scholars and studies had suggested “First-Level Digital Divide” has played an important role. Meanwhile, digital divide has been narrowly defined as the gap between the information rich and the information poor on Internet access. Such dichotomous classification provided a poor road map for technology use. In fact, studies have indicated that, as the material access divide lessened over the years, the digital divide did not diminish accordingly. The literature review shows that middle-aged and elderly people possess poor digital skills. Which means the age factor on digital divide is difficult to eliminate. This paper intended to look beyond accessibility and explored the difference of digital skills among rural users, especially discussed the middle-aged and elderly people group. To explore what are the helps during the process of the middle-aged and elderly people acquiring Skill Access and Usage Access.

To measure the users’ digital skills, this study provided free information equipments for users in rural areas in the northern and the middle Taiwan such as Ilan County, Nantou County, and Yunlin County. Content analysis was conducted and digital skills of the users were analyzed. We adopted cluster sampling method to collect 1,108 users’ records. The first phase of this research takes content analysis to investigate the influencing factors of the Skill Access and Usage Access in rural areas of Taiwan. The second phase is the interview for people in Ilan County, which has the highest population of using the Internet amoung the three counties mentioned above. In order to explore the real fact of digital divide in rural Taiwan, the researcher had interviewed 14 middle-aged and elderly people in Ilan County based on the ”van Dijk’s model” (A Cumulative and Recursive Model).

This study discovered that the usage time is the main factor of Skill Access. In addition, the middle-aged and elderly Taiwan rural adults owned the different digital skills by gendr. Secondly, Usage Access of the entire rural people varied by gender and age. And the gender difference had been refined dramatically. It causes almost no difference between the Usage Access of the middle-aged and elderly in rural areas. Finally, this study modified the van Dijk’s model. We proposed that warm expert can help the middle-aged and elderly people reach the Usage Access level, bring the opportunity to bridge the Second-Level Digital Divide. The contribution of this study includes two aspects. First, in academic aspect, this study defined Skill Access as three abilities; as well the Second-Level Digital Divide dynamic model that proposed by this research offered a foundation for background knowledge and related research in the future. Second, as for the policy aspect, this study recommened the government should re-promote the warm expert policy, particularly in the rural area as well as middle-aged and elderly people groups. This study can also provide the government a brand-new thought of legislating digital divide policy.

並列關鍵字

Warm Expert ； Second-Level Digital Divide ； A Cumulative and Recursive Model ； Skill Access ； Usage Access

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