Moderating Effects of Opportunity on the Cognitive and Motivational Factors of Internet Engagement: A Study of the Digital Divide in Malaysia.

This study investigates usage behaviour as a variation in internet engagement by integrating the concept of access gaps with the ability-motivation-opportunity (AMO) framework. The research model was tested with data collected from 270 respondents in Klang Valley, which is the most urbanised metropolis in Malaysia. The result of path modelling analysis revealed that the cognitive factor of internet skill has the most significant effect on internet engagement. Besides, the significant effects of opportunity and extrinsic motivation on engagement were confirmed. Intrinsic motivation has no significant impact on engagement, but it has a significant interaction effect with opportunity. Thus, the lack of opportunity to access the internet does not limit the frequent engagement of the intrinsically motivated user. This study offers a systematic explanation of the underlying mechanism for the interaction among the access gaps and an alternative model in explaining the determinants of internet users’ behaviour.