Second-Order Digital Inequality: The Case of E-Commerce

International Conference on Information Systems (2014)

22 Pages Posted: 29 Nov 2016 Last revised: 2 May 2017

See all articles by Katharina Buhtz

Katharina Buhtz

University of Passau

Annika Reinartz

University of Passau

Andreas Koenig

University of Passau

Lorenz Graf-Vlachy

TU Dortmund University; University of Passau

Jan Mammen

University of Passau

Date Written: 2014

Abstract

“Second-order digital inequality" describes that certain individuals profit less from digital opportunities not only due to limited access but also due to limited abilities to use information and communication technologies (ICT). This study extends research on second-order digital inequality to the realm of e-commerce. We introduce a novel conceptualization of effective, potentially beneficial, e-commerce use that encompasses two dimensions: (1) the diversity of e-commerce platforms used by an individual; (2) the degree to which an individual uses supporting e-commerce features. Building on technology acceptance theory and social psychology, we argue that socio-economically disadvantaged individuals are less likely to use e-commerce effectively than socio-economically advantaged individuals. We empirically test our hypotheses on clickstream data that tracks the online behavior of 2819 US e-commerce users for six month. Our findings reveal that, despite equal access, the socio-economically advantaged use e-commerce more effectively regarding both dimensions. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Keywords: Digital inequality, e-commerce, digital divide, e-commerce platforms, e-commerce functionalities, technology acceptance, social issues of ICT

Suggested Citation

Buhtz, Katharina and Reinartz, Annika and Koenig, Andreas and Graf-Vlachy, Lorenz and Mammen, Jan, Second-Order Digital Inequality: The Case of E-Commerce (2014). International Conference on Information Systems (2014), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2876126

Katharina Buhtz

University of Passau ( email )

Innstrasse 27
Passau, 94032
Germany

Annika Reinartz

University of Passau ( email )

Innstrasse 27
Passau, 94032
Germany

Andreas Koenig

University of Passau ( email )

Innstrasse 27
Passau, 94032
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://www.wiwi.uni-passau.de/en/technology-innovation/the-chair/chairholder/

Lorenz Graf-Vlachy (Contact Author)

TU Dortmund University ( email )

Otto-Hahn-Str. 12
Dortmund, 44227
Germany

University of Passau ( email )

Innstrasse 27
Passau, 94032
Germany

Jan Mammen

University of Passau ( email )

Innstrasse 27
Passau, 94032
Germany

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