Effect of Digital Literacy on the Use of Digital Technology: Micro-entrepreneurs in the Creative Industries

The present study aimed to analyse the role of digital literacy on theintention to use digital technology by professionals in the creativeindustries. There is consensus among academic literature and governmentalreports that creative activities are essential for economic and socio-culturaldevelopment. Therefore, there is a need for ongoing research on these segmentsof industry, such as how they absorb the impacts of digitalisation andimprovements in digital technology in their creative and artistic expression.For this latter research, it is required to go beyond the organisational levelsince these industries are dynamic segments, mostly composed ofmicroentrepreneurs and independent workers. Based on an extensive literaturereview, relationships between the constructs of digital literacy (DL),subjective norms (SNs), compatibility (CP), self-efficacy (SE), attitudetowards use (ATT) and intention to use (INT) digital technology were examinedfor a sample of 163 European creative workers. Structural equation modelling(SEM) was performed and the results showed that DL significantly affects theintention to use digital technology. Moreover, the SEM results showed that theeffects of SNs, SE and CP on the intention to use digital technology aremediated through the ATT. Based on the results, theoretical and practicalimplications are discussed.