Despite active discussions on community networks both in and out of
the LIS discipline [6–12], little is known about the general characteristics
of their users or the factors affecting their use of the service. Since an
important motivation for promoting the service was to reduce the digital
divide caused by users’ socioeconomic status, researchers have been primarily
interested in identifying demographic characteristics of the users.
One of the earlier community network user studies reported significant
influences of demographic factors on use by describing the typical users
as “educated young males with higher incomes” [13, p. 1], contrasting
strongly with the target audience. However, this description may no longer
fit into the current user population, considering the rapid diffusion of the
Internet and the considerable social efforts to reduce the digital divide
[14–17]. In a recent study, Karen Pettigrew, Joan Durrance, and Kenton
Unruh [6] reported that there was no such typical community network
user that could be characterized by his/her demographics. These developments
suggest that demographic variables may no longer be the primary
predictors of use; therefore, continued, exclusive focus on demographic
factors alone would be problematic in adequately explaining the current
use of community networks. This problem indicates a need to reexamine
the influence of demographic factors on use and to explore other, previously
overlooked, predictors of use.