These families were self-directed and explorative in their use of digital technology.

The parents had an entrepreneurial mindset, attaching value to being creative and productive. With a self-made attitude, they felt empowered by the internet, which offered endless opportunities to enhance their knowledge and capabilities.

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​Culture of Digital Technology Use

The internet was viewed as enabling creativity, collaboration and social interaction which were thought to be important life skills. They explored the internet for opportunities to learn new skills and to be creative.

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These families relied heavily on their own resources, and the internet to learn knew digital knowledge, and to access other learning opportunities. For instance parents sought informal educative resources online that assisted with streamlining their business and keeping up to date, while children navigated search engines and content providers to assist in learning new things often of specific interest and utility. Overall, the internet was valued as an infinite informational resource that could help them achieve their personal and occupational goals. Children were generally not restricted from using the internet and used it independently from their parents to follow their interests, having more opportunity to build digital know-how. Although these families generally did not have a high level of institutional IT support, they had good digital know-how through their experimentation, exploration and self-managed learning online. Consequently they accrued forms of digital capital that resulted in added capital benefits offline. They valued self-learning over formal training and believed the internet was central to their achieving future goals.

 

​Outcomes

These families were not hesitant to explore digital services and tools to mobilise and enhance their personal, social and economic capital online. As 'produsers' they were the most likely to create and share content. 

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While children would complete their school education, they were likely to pursue work that would foster their interests and creativity, and which may not require further formal education, but which could be achieved by their own efforts. Digital technology was perceived as integral to future work.