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According to Macmillan Dictionary, the noun 'use' can be both countable and uncountable. How to understand whether it is countable or uncountable in a given context?
Here're some examples I saw that could be used with either of the determiners given in square brackets, and the choice really depend on whether 'use' there is a mass noun:
There is a clear correlation between [the/a/-] use of electrical appliances and time spent on household chores.
[The/a/-] use of email has increased.
That Macmillan page shows that some meanings of "use" are countable while others aren't, and some can be both.
Your two examples both have the meaning, the act of using something, which Macmillan lists as uncountable.
Samples:
There is a clear correlation between the use of electrical appliances and time spent on household chores.
The use of email has increased.
The determiner "the" is used because this is specific to what comes after the of.
The point of answering is to be informative.
The king of the fair was David.
The use of hand-held tools takes time to learn.
Please note: the uncountable noun use can be replaced by a gerund: using
