Abstract

Driven by the Indian government’s commitment to Digital Influence, exemplified by the comprehensive Digital India Initiative launched in 2015, the proposed research investigates the practical impact of these efforts on students. The Digital India Initiative brought together diverse services onto a single platform to boost efficiency and speed up the country’s digital shift. This consolidation has led to a more accessible and transparent system for delivering services nationwide. This paper specifically examines the levels of Digital Knowledge, Digital Confidence, and Digital Skills – collectively termed as Digital Engagement – among college students, and explores how these factors contribute to their Digital Influence through the analysis of primary data. The study reveals a generally high level of digital engagement and influence among the student population. However, significant disparities emerge across demographic groups. Notably, female students, while exhibiting superior Digital Knowledge and Confidence, demonstrate a comparative lag in Digital Skills and Influence, indicating a need for targeted educational interventions to ensure equitable development. The research also highlights a strong correlation between students’ access to multiple digital devices, diverse digital experiences, and overall Digital Influence, emphasizing the importance of providing students with a wide array of digital tools. Digital confidence and skills significantly strengthen the link between digital knowledge and influence. Digital knowledge also positively moderates the relationships between digital confidence and influence, and digital skills and influence. The strongest moderating effect observed was digital knowledge on the connection between digital skills and influence. Therefore, educational institutions should focus on interventions that address heterogeneity in digital literacy and skill development.

Keywords: Digital Influence, Digital knowledge, Digital Confidence, Digital Skills, Moderation analysis, E-Services