From Access to Everyday Use: Adoption and Intensity of Digital Communication among Youth-Owned Socio- Economic Enterprises in Marani Sub-County, Kisii County, Kenya
Asiah Akenga, Peter Gutwa Oino and Dennis Mamboleo
Kisii University, Kenya
Email: isaken2003@gmail.com
Abstract: Digital communication technologies are reshaping how youth-owned enterprises market products, engage customers and manage everyday business activities. Yet access to digital platforms does not necessarily translate into sustained or enterprise-wide use. This study examined the adoption and intensity of digital communication use among youth-owned socio-economic enterprises in Marani Sub-County, Kisii County, Kenya. A mixed-methods approach was employed with 335 youth-owned enterprises, combining survey data with qualitative accounts to explain patterns in digital use. Eight five-point Likert-scale indicators assessed daily use, integration into routine operations, customer communication, platform updating, perceived importance, marketing, customer support and feedback, and employee participation. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the survey data, while qualitative responses were thematically analysed and integrated with the quantitative findings. Overall, enterprises reported high adoption and routine use (M = 4.16, SD = 0.78). The highest-rated uses were marketing products and services (M = 4.37, SD = 0.65), customer communication (M = 4.34, SD = 0.69), and daily use (M = 4.28, SD = 0.76). However, platform updating (M = 3.95, SD = 0.88) and employee participation (M = 3.92, SD = 0.91) were comparatively weaker. Qualitative findings showed that WhatsApp and Facebook supported marketing, ordering, customer feedback, payment coordination and delivery communication, but use was often concentrated among enterprise owners. The findings suggest that digital adoption among youth-owned enterprises is substantial, but digital capability remains unevenly distributed within enterprises. Moving from owner-centred use towards shared organisational capability may therefore be critical for achieving more sustained and multifunctional digital transformation.
