The Device Divide: A PLS-SEM Analysis of Mediating Digital Exclusion in Algerian Households

Purpose. This study examines household digital infrastructure readiness in Algeria and tests the "Device Divide" as a mediating mechanism between socio-economic deprivation and digital exclusion. It shifts focus from network coverage to material possession thresholds. Design / Method / Approach. Using micro-data from the 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (N=31,325), a causal model was tested via Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling using Smart-PLS software. This approach measured latent variables and analyzed direct and indirect paths. Findings. Hardware ownership (computer or smartphone) is the strongest predictor of access (β =0.530). Mediation analysis confirms wealth and education effects largely pass through the "hardware channel," linking digital poverty to material deprivation. Urban-rural disparities persist independently of economic factors. Theoretical Implications. The research validates Resources and Appropriation Theory in a developing context, demonstrating that material access is a sequential prerequisite for usage, not a given. Practical Implications. Policies must shift to demand-side interventions. Recommendations include targeting device affordability for vulnerable groups and establishing rural access points to mitigate the "mobile underclass" phenomenon. Originality / Value. This is among the first studies to apply a structural mediation model to national Algerian data to explain the "first-level divide," moving beyond descriptive statistics. Research Limitations / Future Research. Cross-sectional data limits longitudinal inference. Future work should include skills and outcomes variables across income quintiles. Article Type. Empirical Paper.