Becoming A Smart Citizen, A Study of Digital Literacy and Perceptions of Smart Life Changes

This study focuses on citizens as both policy objects and actors in smart cities. This is because the ultimate goal of smart cities is not the construction of smart urban infrastructure, but the creation of 'smart citizens'. The study analyzed the level of citizens' smart capabilities and awareness of smart life changes among Busan citizens, and found that digital literacy varied significantly by respondents' personal characteristics such as gender, age, and income. Awareness of smart life changes was also analyzed to be influenced by income and age. In addition, respondents' personal characteristics had a direct effect on awareness of smart life changes and an indirect effect through digital literacy. In order to build citizen-centric smart cities, it is necessary to develop policies to reduce the gender, class, and generational gaps in smart capabilities and institutionalize efforts to ensure digital citizenship.