Acquiring a New Technology at Home: Factors Contributing to Youths’ Influence on Digital Media Adoption in a Family

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session and Reception
  In Interactive Paper Session: Children, Adolescents, and the Media Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

This study examines to what extent children influence their parents’ acquisition of new technologies, namely computers, mobiles and the Internet, in a country with varied levels of technology diffusion, such as Chile. It also investigates the factors that play a role in the influence process, including children’s persuasive strategies (argumentative vs. non-argumentative) and parents’ attitudes toward technology (perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness). Using a parent-child survey conducted in three schools and dyadic analyses, the results suggest that youths influence their parents’ acquisition of all technologies examined in this study, particularly the Internet. They also suggest that youths’ argumentative strategies have a greater influence than non-argumentative strategies on the influence youths exert on their parents’ technology adoption. Finally, parents’ attitudes toward technology play a minor role in the influence process.
 

Author

• Teresa Correa, Universidad Diego Portales