Why Internet use? A quantitative examination of the role of everyday life and Internet policy and regulation

Regardless of the technological advances achieved so far and the often techno-deterministic approaches to the information society, inequalities in the access to, distribution and use of ICTs such as the Internet still highlight the importance of digital divides. The complex nature and continuing importance of the unequal rates of use of ICTs such as the Internet invite research to examine their drivers. Ordinary people’s everyday life and their awareness and evaluation of policy and regulation are influential factors in how Internet use takes shape today. This is the argument made by this article and supported by a survey of 1001 Internet users and non-users in Greece. Particular attention is paid to how aspects of everyday life and culture, such as resistance to ICTs, and people’s awareness and evaluation of Internet policy and regulation in areas such as online security and privacy can explain Internet use.