Internet-of-Things Skills Among the General Population: Task-Based Performance Test Using Activity Trackers

Abstract

Background The health internet-of-things (IoT) can potentially provide insights into the present health condition, potential pitfalls, and support of a healthier lifestyle. However, to enjoy these benefits, people need skills to use the IoT. These IoT skills are expected to differ across the general population, thereby causing a new digital divide. Objective This study aims to assess whether a sample of the general Dutch population can use health IoT by focusing on data and strategic IoT skills. Furthermore, we determine the role of gender, age, and education, and traditional internet skills. Methods From April 1, 2019, to December 12, 2019, 100 individuals participated in this study. Participants were recruited via digital flyers and door-to-door canvassing. A selective quota sample was divided into equal subsamples of gender, age, and education. Additional inclusion criteria were smartphone possession and no previous experience of using activity trackers. This study was conducted in 3 waves over a period of 2 weeks. In wave 1, a questionnaire was administered to measure the operational, mobile, and information internet skills of the participants, and the participants were introduced to the activity tracker. After 1 week of getting acquainted with the activity tracker, a task-based performance test was conducted in wave 2 to measure the levels of data IoT skills and the strategic IoT skill component—action plan construction. A week after the participants were asked to use the activity tracker more deliberately, a performance test was then conducted in wave 3 to measure the level of the strategic IoT skill component—action plan execution. Results The participants successfully completed 54% (13.5/25) of the data IoT skill tasks. Regarding strategic IoT tasks, the completion rates were 56% (10.1/18) for action plan construction and 43% (3.9/9) for action plan execution. None of the participants were able to complete all the data IoT skill tasks, and none of the participants were able to complete all the strategic IoT skill tasks regarding action plan construction or its execution. Age and education were important determinants of the IoT skill levels of the participants, except for the ability to execute an action plan strategically. Furthermore, the level of information internet skills of the participants contributed to their level of data IoT skills. Conclusions This study found that data and strategic IoT skills of Dutch citizens are underdeveloped with regard to health purposes. In particular, those who could benefit the most from health IoT were those who had the most trouble using it, that is, the older and lower-educated individuals.

Do Privacy Concerns About Social Robots Affect Use Intentions? Evidence From an Experimental Vignette Study

“…Since social robots are still not widely adopted, we consider scientific interest as a proxy for knowledge and awareness of social robots—and technology skills with social robots. Extant research has shown that (digital) technology skills vary by education (Van Deursen and Van Dijk, 2011 ; De Boer et al, 2020 ). Based on De Boer et al ( 2020 ) study about internet-of-things technologies, which share similarities with social robots, we expect technology skills with social robots to vary by education level as well.…”

“…Extant research has shown that (digital) technology skills vary by education (Van Deursen and Van Dijk, 2011 ; De Boer et al, 2020 ). Based on De Boer et al ( 2020 ) study about internet-of-things technologies, which share similarities with social robots, we expect technology skills with social robots to vary by education level as well. Given that scientific interest and technology skills are both shaped by someone's education, we think it is justifiable to use scientific interest as a proxy for technology skills with social robots, particularly in a situation where individuals do not have experience with the technology itself (i.e., they do not own a robot).…”

The lights are on, but no one’s home: A performance test to measure digital skills to use IoT home automation

“…Users of IoT home automation need to know what platform-app, website, or a central platform-can provide them with access to the data they are searching for. To identify and select these data in the IoT's infinitive dataset, they require a clear idea of which data are relevant to their envisioned goal (Atzori et al, 2010;De Boer et al, 2020). Once the relevant data have been identified, users must be able to determine what format is the most suitable to present the data in an understandable manner.…”

“…With regard to previous web developments, strategic skills can be divided into four distinct steps of decision-making: orienting goals, taking required actions, making decisions, and implementing decisions (Van Deursen et al, 2021). To fit the context of IoT wherein the devices play a larger role in the decisionmaking process, De Boer et al (2020) translated these steps to (1) orientating goals, (2) combining data with other information sources, (3) making data-driven decisions and assessing automated (or proposed) actions of the IoT, and (4) taking actions and reflecting upon the actions of the IoT.…”

“…Across web developments, from a medium restricted to reading content (web 1.0), to a medium where users can create, store and share content themselves (web 2.0 and 3.0) and, eventually, introduce devices to the network (web 4.0) (Noh, 2015), users from a lower socioeconomic status and older users are likely to be disadvantaged as they possess the least developed digital skills (Van Deursen and Mossberger, 2018). Thus, users that could potentially benefit most from developments such as the IoT, are least likely to fully exploit it (De Boer et al, 2020). In effect, existing digital inequalities are expected to be exacerbated because the IoT's continuous data collection and autonomous character put more stress on users' digital skills compared with previous web developments ( Van Deursen and Mossberger, 2018).…”