Exploring digital behaviour among Indonesian farmers: the relation of digital literacy on information seeking and entertainment consumption

Purpose The effective use of digital technology by farmers is contingent upon their digital behaviour, specifically, whether they predominantly engage in information seeking or entertainment consumption, which is affected by digital literacy. This paper aims to examine farmers' digital behaviour and digital literacy, as well as their relationship. Design/methodology/approach Data from the 2023 Digital Literacy Survey, initiated by the Ministry of Communications and Digital, Republic of Indonesia, were used in this study. Data analysis began with: (1) data preprocessing to ensure the data were clean and consistent (2) hierarchical cluster analysis of digital behaviour and digital literacy (3) heatmap analysis which is a matrix commonly used to identify patterns, relationships, and intensities in one dimension (4) Prediction of digital behaviour based on digital literacy and demographics (age, gender, digital spending, and education) using multinomial regression. Findings The results revealed that most Indonesian farmers exhibit a low-to-moderate intention to use digital technology, and they use it in a balanced manner for both information seeking and entertainment consumption. Regarding digital literacy, most Indonesian farmers exhibit a level ranging from low to moderate. There is a correlation between farmers' digital literacy and their digital behaviour. Higher levels of digital literacy prevent farmers from prioritising entertainment consumption. Furthermore, age, education, and gender affect farmers' digital behaviour. Research limitations/implications To evaluate the factors that influence the digital behaviour of farmers, this paper solely uses three demographic variables: age, education, and gender, due to the limited availability of data. The relatively low pseudo-R2 value (ranging from 0.0235 to 0.0968) implies that digital usage patterns are still influenced by other factors that have not been incorporated into this model. Therefore, to enhance the findings of this paper, it is recommended that future studies incorporate additional demographic and socio-economic factors. Moreover, future studies are also encouraged to examine the effect of farmers' digital behaviour on their farming situations, such as crop yield and profit, as well as access to production inputs, markets, funding, and technology. Practical implications This study provides practical insights for agricultural industry actors: the government, NGOs, and farmers. Collaboration is crucial to designing a digital literacy program that is tailored to and in line with the digital behaviour profile of farmers. Digital behavior allows farmers to be clustered into beginner, intermediate , and advanced farmers. This identification allows the development of interventions tailored to the specific needs of each group. The findings of this research can also serve as a guide for developing digital farming tools that suit farmers' needs, tailor technology to farmers' digital literacy levels, encourage wider adoption of technology, and support sustainable rural digital transformation. Social implications This study illustrates how digital literacy gaps in Indonesian farming communities can affect their ability to access information and participate in the digital economy. The findings reveal that low digital competency can deepen social exclusion and widen the gap between rural and urban areas. By identifying these distinct clusters of digital literacy and behaviour, this study supports evidence-based interventions to promote digital inclusion in rural settings, improve livelihoods, and promote equitable development in rural areas. Originality/value This study highlights the dual role of digital technology as a “double-edged sword” for farmers. The vast potential of technology allows for increased agricultural productivity, expanded access to information, easier market affordability, and other services. On the other hand, existing technology can trap farmers with low literacy into dwelling only on excessive entertainment content, so that technological advances have minimal economic impact and limited capacity development for farmers. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: Link to the website.