DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ACCESS AND USE AMONG SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED GROUPS IN TURKANA COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

The involvement and experiences of socioeconomically disadvantaged people in Turkana County, Kenya, were examined in this article. This was a qualitative study that looked into how different groups use information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as the internet, smartphones, and computers. Access to digital information and communication networks, particularly via the Internet and mobile phones/smartphones, is increasingly considered as essential for full citizen engagement in modern society's economic, social, educational, political, and cultural activities. This is especially true as the prevalence of digital access and use among the general public grows fast, and as businesses and governments increasingly rely on ICT to deliver services, support, and information. Internet like water, gas, and electricity, broadband connectivity is quickly becoming a necessity. According to various researchers, a world without the Internet will become unfathomable for many people in the next few years or so, much as a world without telephones did many years ago. Data on ICT access, on the other hand, demonstrate that a large proportion of people in both the developed and developing world’s still have limited or no access to ICTs and opportunity to use them.