Christopher D. Sessums :: Blog :: Wired but not Web 2.0: A Brief Look at the Pew/Internet Study on Adult ICT Use

I admit I always enjoy looking over Pew/Internet studies. They do a terrific job of documenting their research, making their methodology both transparent and easy to digest.

c|net news.com provides an overview of the latest Pew Internet & American Life Project study (pdf) focusing on adults’ (18 and older) “evolving relationships to cyberspace.” (A tip o’ th’ tam to Ben Campbell for pointing me to this.)

The Pew study reports that 73 percent of U.S. adults surveyed own a mobile phone, 68 percent have a desktop computer, 30 percent own a laptop, and 73 percent use the Internet, yet only 8 percent are “deep users” of Web 2.0 features (n=2,822). (The study defines Web 2.0 users as people who employ digital technology to “express themselves online and participate in the commons of cyberspace," which would include maintaining a blog, a vlog, or a web site.)

The study also notes that 37 percent of the U.S. adult population surveyed regularly use instant messaging, more than 25 percent have downloaded music, 19 percent have shared photos, artwork, stories, or video, and 41 percent have sent a text message via their mobile phone.

The study then goes on to categorize adult users of technology into 10 types (which often overlap) that represent the priorities and attitudes of how information and communication technologies (ICT) fit into one’s life.

The “Elite Tech Users” (31 percent of American adults surveyed) comprise the following categorizations:

Omnivore (8 percent) – typically under thirty, tech savvy users, who blog, text message, twitter, and stay connected almost always.

Connector (7 percent) – mostly thirtysomething females that stay connected to family, friends, and hobbies online. This group is also reported to be twice as likely to blog or own a web page than the average American.

Lackluster Veteran (8 percent) – typically a fortysomething male who has “been there, done that” and could care less about anything “2.0.” Their interests end at email, information gathering, and see computing as something they do at work, not at home.

Productivity Enhancer (8 percent) – typically fortysomething of either gender who like what the Internet and technology have to offer but won’t be found watching The Office on their mobile phone or laptop.

The “Middle-of-the-Road Users” comprising 20 percent of the adult population surveyed  and includes:

Mobile Centric (10 percent) – typically a thirtysomething who would not be caught dead without their “cellie.” Pew noted a large share of African-Americans fitting into this category.

Connected but Hassled (10 percent) – these people could live without technology and find it an “intrusive” necessity. Typically found among women in their late forties who own mobile devices and digital cameras but do not swear by them.

Finally, the “Few Tech Assets” group (49 percent) comprise the majority of adults surveyed. They include the following categories:

Inexperienced Experimenter (8 percent) – typically a female fiftysomething with an above-average income, who has dabbled on message boards, downloading a tune, or sharing photos via email, but is not sure what to make of all of this.

Light but Satisfied (15 percent) – usually a fiftysomething female who discovered the Internet five years ago, who likes technology but would probably never consider dropping their landline telephone service.

Indifferent (11 percent) – typically a fortysomething male without high-speed access who rarely connects to others online, but might be more inclined to do so if he/she shelled out more ducats for broadband.

Off the Network (15 percent) – similar to the term “off the grid” this group, typically 65 and older, do not own a mobile phone or have Internet access but might own a computer or a digital camera (see my in-laws).

The Pew study based their findings from phone interviews with 4,001 adults, 18 and older, between February and April 2006. The results based on Internet users was based on a sampling of 2,822 adults with a margin of sampling error in plus or minus two percentage points.

In the Pew portrait of technology adoption, some other interesting statistics rise to the surface:

• 62 percent of adult Internet users reported going online just for fun, for no particular reason, or simply to pass the time (p. 3).
  
  
• 13 percent of adults who report watching television reportedly watch TV shows or news programs on either a computer, cell phone, iPod or PDA (p. 4). In other words, it appears traditional news/media outlets are still relatively “safe” and will not be subsumed by the Intarweb just yet.
  
  
• 27 percent of all respondents reported feeling overloaded with information, while 67 percent said they liked having so much information available (p. 4).
  
  
• 48 percent reported that computers and technology “give them more control over their lives,” 16 percent reported less control, and 29 percent said, “these things make no difference” (p. 4).
  
  
• More than half of the people surveyed reported that electronic devices are not intrusions and that managing all of these devices is not an annoyance (p. 5).
  
  
• An overwhelming majority of respondents also reported that information and communication technologies (ICT) improved their ability to do their job, learn new things, and stay in touch with family and friends. A relative majority of the respondents also reported that ICT allowed them to share ideas and creations with others, pursue hobbies and interests, and allowed them to work with others in groups and community settings (p. 5).

In terms of educational levels and technology adoption/integration, the Pew study suggests that the Elite Tech Users (31 percent) generally have a higher level of education (i.e., a college degree); however, having a degree does not necessarily mean a person enjoys using ICT. The Lackluster Veterans group shows a high percentage of college degrees that also report information overload and stress managing their gadgets (pp. 37-38).

What do these results suggest for educators?

For primary and secondary educators and administrators, these results suggest that you might consider a weekly weblog or listserv newsletter to keep parents apprised of classroom activities and events. Parental involvement is quite important to a strong school community. Empirical research clearly shows that “well-structured family participation in education enhances students’ academic success, improves school behavior, and reinforces strong regulatory skills and work orientation” (Chavkin, 2000; Moles, 1987; Baker, 1997; Morris and Taylor, 1998 as sited by LePage, Darling-Hammond, et al., 2005, p. 338).

These results also document why some educators take to the Internet, weblogs, and ICT in general, and others do not. As we’ve all known, you can’t force educators into the blogosphere even while many of us regularly profess its social, spiritual, and intellectual impact. I guess you can force educators onto the Web but it’s generally not advisable. In defense of a top down model of Web adoption, I have an initial gathering of evidence that shows how a number of educators were asked to participate in an online degree program (i.e., it was not the first choice), who joined reluctantly, and over time began to see the value of the coursework, the Internet, and its affordances. Clearly, people/educators need to see the social and content value associated with/through technology in order for it to be successfully adopted and integrated into one’s life.

What about the Youth?

The Pew study notes that that ICT use is generally the “province of youth. Yet, overlaying age with the number of years online tenure shows that technology adoption unfolds in waves within age cohorts” (p. 39).

Since kids and teenagers were not part of this study, I’m guessing a report will be forthcoming soon, perhaps once summer rolls around and teens are out of school.

Anecdotally speaking, I have discovered that my own kids and younger relatives, ranging in age from 14-21, use MySpace & Facebook to connect and communicate with family and friends, but see no reason to tread too far outside of this domain. The do not Twitter or Flickr or even use del.icio.us. They might text their friends on their mobiles, but they know they would have to pay extra for such a service. They are unfamiliar with RSS and a majority of the social software/Web 2.0 applications on the market, yet they probably consider themselves relatively techno-social. My youngest likes MMORPGs and says he wants a Second Life account to meet up with friends. My 17 year-old daughter is relatively indifferent to technology and my oldest son is an information sponge and regularly uses the Internet to learn new things as well as connect with others. I think a Pew report on teens using similar questioning strategies would be quite revealing and perhaps even startling on several fronts. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Note: I thought it was interesting the way the Pew study authors framed their research, that is, "our collective relationship to cyberspace," as opposed to a relationship with cyberspace -- after all, who can have a relationship with an inanimate structure, much less an extensive electronic network? Or can you… hmmm…. Sounds like I need to follow up with a blog post focusing on the work of Reeves and Nass!)


References:

LePage, P., Darling-Hammond, L., et al. (2005). Classroom management. In L. Darling-Hammond & J. Bransford (Eds.) Preparing teachers for a changing world: What teachers should learn and be able to do. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Pew Internet & American Life Project (2007). A typology of information and communication technology users. Washington, D.C. Retrieved 8 May 2007 from http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_ICT_Typology.pdf.