Usage of ICT in Pakistan: An analysis of the influence of technological gadgets penetration on individuals and businesses

Abstract

Electronic and technological gadgets play a crucial role in the development of any society as well as the personal nature of individuals in this modern era, they also serve as tools for creating remarkable effects in the modernization of any business or trade globally. Based on this notion, this study analyzed the access to information and communication technology (ICT) in Pakistan and also provided facts and figures about ICT gadgets and how much it stimulates the interests of people towards ICT concerning age and income. Most of the studies centered on ICT have only examined perspectives from developed countries such as the USA, Europe, and Asia. However, in Pakistan, there is a significant research gap in this regard. Therefore, this study examined access to ICT towards how the people in the main cities of Islamabad, Hyderabad, Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Quetta of Pakistan were potential business owners and traders. The usage and access of ICT are available mostly in urban areas whereas rural residents are already facing the problem of low access to ICT. In this study, the logit model was used to model the data of HIES 2015-16 obtained from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics website. According to the empirical analysis, an inverse relationship between the age of individuals and their interests in ICT was observed, which seemed to reveal that usage of ICT and its gadgets was found to be more accessible and penetrable among younger generations towards the management of businesses. In addition, it was also perceived that an increase in the income of an individual, brings an increase in the interest of such individuals towards ICT, both in their personal lives as well as in their businesses and trade.