This study assessed the impact of internet access on rural dwellers in Nigeria. As the use of the internet is on the increase- presenting many opportunities and potentials for development, the digital divide between rural and urban areas become more pronounced. The internet is a great infrastructure which when fully utilized, can be useful in improving the socio-economic development of Nigeria. Data was collected using qualitative and quantitative methods with structured in-depth interview guides as tools. Two remote towns in Southwest Nigeria were selected as study areas. The survey involved a random sampling of participants who consented to participate in the study. The distribution of male to female respondents was 56:44. The research findings revealed the presence of mobile Internet Service Providers that made the internet accessible in both towns. However, some respondents reported poor internet service speed(s) and connection. 19% of the respondents at Ibule-Soro reported having no access to the internet, 100% of whom were self-employed females. Financial constraints, lack of operational knowledge and a perception that the internet was unnecessary were some of the reasons given for lack of access- implying the need for more inclusive digital education on the value of the internet in today’s society. This study recommends that more intervention efforts be channeled towards educating the rural population on how useful the internet can be for personal and societal development. A more in-depth study is also recommended to determine the extent to which internet access has influenced socio-economic development in rural communities in Nigeria.
| Published in | International Journal of Sustainable Development Research (Volume 8, Issue 3) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220803.11 |
| Page(s) | 99-107 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Decolonization, Digital Divide, Internet Access, Mobile Internet, Rural Nigeria
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APA Style
James Kunle Olorundare, Adedeji Olowe, Ebelechukwu Ayibuofu Erhuanga. (2022). Decolonising the Internet: Assessing the Impact of Mobile Internet on Rural Dwellers in Nigeria. International Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 8(3), 99-107. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220803.11
ACS Style
James Kunle Olorundare; Adedeji Olowe; Ebelechukwu Ayibuofu Erhuanga. Decolonising the Internet: Assessing the Impact of Mobile Internet on Rural Dwellers in Nigeria. Int. J. Sustain. Dev. Res. 2022, 8(3), 99-107. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220803.11
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220803.11,
author = {James Kunle Olorundare and Adedeji Olowe and Ebelechukwu Ayibuofu Erhuanga},
title = {Decolonising the Internet: Assessing the Impact of Mobile Internet on Rural Dwellers in Nigeria},
journal = {International Journal of Sustainable Development Research},
volume = {8},
number = {3},
pages = {99-107},
doi = {10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220803.11},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220803.11},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijsdr.20220803.11},
abstract = {This study assessed the impact of internet access on rural dwellers in Nigeria. As the use of the internet is on the increase- presenting many opportunities and potentials for development, the digital divide between rural and urban areas become more pronounced. The internet is a great infrastructure which when fully utilized, can be useful in improving the socio-economic development of Nigeria. Data was collected using qualitative and quantitative methods with structured in-depth interview guides as tools. Two remote towns in Southwest Nigeria were selected as study areas. The survey involved a random sampling of participants who consented to participate in the study. The distribution of male to female respondents was 56:44. The research findings revealed the presence of mobile Internet Service Providers that made the internet accessible in both towns. However, some respondents reported poor internet service speed(s) and connection. 19% of the respondents at Ibule-Soro reported having no access to the internet, 100% of whom were self-employed females. Financial constraints, lack of operational knowledge and a perception that the internet was unnecessary were some of the reasons given for lack of access- implying the need for more inclusive digital education on the value of the internet in today’s society. This study recommends that more intervention efforts be channeled towards educating the rural population on how useful the internet can be for personal and societal development. A more in-depth study is also recommended to determine the extent to which internet access has influenced socio-economic development in rural communities in Nigeria.},
year = {2022}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Decolonising the Internet: Assessing the Impact of Mobile Internet on Rural Dwellers in Nigeria AU - James Kunle Olorundare AU - Adedeji Olowe AU - Ebelechukwu Ayibuofu Erhuanga Y1 - 2022/07/05 PY - 2022 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220803.11 DO - 10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220803.11 T2 - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research JF - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research JO - International Journal of Sustainable Development Research SP - 99 EP - 107 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2575-1832 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsdr.20220803.11 AB - This study assessed the impact of internet access on rural dwellers in Nigeria. As the use of the internet is on the increase- presenting many opportunities and potentials for development, the digital divide between rural and urban areas become more pronounced. The internet is a great infrastructure which when fully utilized, can be useful in improving the socio-economic development of Nigeria. Data was collected using qualitative and quantitative methods with structured in-depth interview guides as tools. Two remote towns in Southwest Nigeria were selected as study areas. The survey involved a random sampling of participants who consented to participate in the study. The distribution of male to female respondents was 56:44. The research findings revealed the presence of mobile Internet Service Providers that made the internet accessible in both towns. However, some respondents reported poor internet service speed(s) and connection. 19% of the respondents at Ibule-Soro reported having no access to the internet, 100% of whom were self-employed females. Financial constraints, lack of operational knowledge and a perception that the internet was unnecessary were some of the reasons given for lack of access- implying the need for more inclusive digital education on the value of the internet in today’s society. This study recommends that more intervention efforts be channeled towards educating the rural population on how useful the internet can be for personal and societal development. A more in-depth study is also recommended to determine the extent to which internet access has influenced socio-economic development in rural communities in Nigeria. VL - 8 IS - 3 ER -
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