The Impact of Mobile Literacy on Life Satisfaction Among Young Adults with Disabilities: The Mediating Effect of Social Capital

Background and Purpose

Last decades, increasing usage of smartphones, tablet PCs, and smartwatches has contributed to facilitating the daily convenience and social activities of people. According to Büchi's (2021) theory of digital well-being, abilities to utilize information and digital resources can make individuals more connected to society and consequently have positive impacts on their lives.

People with disabilities are not an exception. In particular, individuals with disabilities in early adulthood can actively utilize devices to empower themselves and expand their opportunities for social participation. In this regard, this study aims to examine the extent to which mobile literacy of young adults with disabilities in South Korea influences their life satisfaction and whether the relationship between mobile literacy and life satisfaction is mediated by social capital.

Methods

This study used data from the 2022 Digital Divide Survey of the National Information Society Agency in South Korea. Since this study focuses on young adults with disabilities, the sample size was reduced to 444 aged 18 to 39 years old.

Mobile literacy, an independent variable of this study, was measured by a summated score of 7 indicators (4-point Likert type scale) asking their ability of mobile devices (e.g., smartphone, smartwatch, etc.). Life satisfaction was measured by a summated score of 8 items (4-point Likert type scale) in terms of leisure, economic situation, social activities, etc. Social capital was measured by the Internet Social Capital Scale developed by Williams (2006). The social capital scale has 10 items (4-point Likert type scale) which was divided into bridging social capital (5 items) and bonding social capital (5 items). Control variables in this study include gender, age, type of disability, severity of disability, employment status, residential location, and average monthly income. To examine the mediational effect of social capital on the relationship between mobile literacy and life satisfaction among young adults with disabilities, this study employed Process Macro Model 4 (Hayes, 2013) of SPSS package. In addition, the bootstrapping method was used for the mediation test.

Results

Key findings of this study are as follows: First, the level of mobile literacy was found to have positive impacts on life satisfaction among young adults with disabilities. Second, mobile literacy has positive and significant impacts on both bridging and bonding social capital. Third, both bridging and bonding social capital influenced life satisfaction positively. Last, both bridging and bonding social capital were found to have mediational effects on the relationship between mobile literacy and life satisfaction among young adults with disabilities.

Conclusion

This study shows that mobile literacy matters for quality of life among young adults with disabilities. It is also noteworthy that mobile literacy can boost social capital of young adults with disabilities. These findings of the mediation analysis in this study provide empirical support for the digital well-being theory, emphasizing the importance of understanding how mobile devices are utilized, rather than simply owned and used. Accordingly, social intervention programs need to be implemented to enhance not only mobile usage but also mobile literacy of young adults with disabilities.