Does Distance Matter in the Age of the Internet?

Urban Studies ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 47 (13) ◽  
pp. 2747-2783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Mok ◽  
Barry Wellman ◽  
Juan Carrasco
Keyword(s):  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Regional Level ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Interpersonal Contact ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Frequency Of Contact ◽  
Linear Effects ◽  
E Mail

This study is part of the broad debate about the role of distance and technology for interpersonal contact. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that systematically and explicitly compares the role of distance in social networks pre- and post-Internet. An analysis is made of the effect of distance on the frequency of e-mail, phone, face-to-face and overall contact in personal networks, and the findings are compared with their pre-Internet counterpart whose data were collected in 1978 in the same East York, Toronto locality. Multilevel models with a spline specification are used to examine the non-linear effects of distance on the frequency of contact. These effects are compared for both very close and somewhat close ties, and for different role relationships: immediate kin, extended kin, friends and neighbours. The results show that e-mail contact is generally insensitive to distance, but tends to increase for transoceanic relationships greater than 3000 miles apart. Face-to-face contact remains strongly related to short distances (within five miles), while distance has little impact on how often people phone each other at the regional level (within 100 miles). The study concludes that e-mail has only somewhat altered the way people maintain their relationships. The frequency of face-to-face contact among socially close friends and relatives has hardly changed between the 1970s and the 2000s, although the frequency of phone contact has slightly increased. Moreover, the sensitivity of these relationships to distance has remained similar, despite the communication opportunities of the Internet and low-cost telephony.

scholarly journals Cyber-Flirting: An Examination of Men's and Women's Flirting Behaviour Both Offline and on the Internet

2004 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica T. Whitty
Keyword(s):  
Physical Attractiveness ◽  
The Body ◽  
Nonverbal Cues ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Interactions

AbstractWhile flirting is a relatively underresearched area within psychology, even less is known about how people cyber-flirt. This paper explores how often individuals flirt offline compared to online. Moreover, it attempts to examine how men and women flirt within these different spaces. Five thousand, six hundred and ninety-seven individuals, of which 3554 (62%) were women and 2143 (38%) were men, completed a survey about their flirting behaviour both in face-to-face interactions and in chatrooms. The first hypothesis, which stated that the body would be used to flirt with as frequently online as offline, was partly supported. However, it was found that individuals downplayed the importance of physical attractiveness online. Women flirted by displaying nonverbal signals (offline) or substitutes for nonverbal cues (online), to a greater extent than men. In chatrooms men were more likely than women to initiate contact. It is concluded that cyber-flirting is more than simply a meeting of minds and that future research needs to consider the role of the body in online interactions.

scholarly journals The voice of dwellers – developing a place brand by listening to its residents

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulla Hakala
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Conceptual Development ◽  
Place Branding ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
E Mail

Purpose Listening to the customers has long been a key phrase and success element in product branding. This paper aims to highlight the importance of listening to residents during the branding of a place. The study explores ways of listening to residents to ensure they are heard and also discusses the challenges and benefits related to place branding flowing from having residents participate in decision-making processes. Design/methodology/approach Listening to residents and offering opportunities to participate requires place branders to fully attend to, comprehend and respond to residents’ comments, requests, ideas and feedback. This study reports on how two Nordic cities – Turku and Helsinki – listen to their residents. The data used comprise face-to-face interviews, telephone and e-mail conversations and documentary material. Findings Residents should not be considered as one homogeneous target; participation options and channels should be adapted to the demographics and geographic issues of the different regions and resident groups. Research limitations/implications The role of residents and the importance of listening are crucial features in the emerging concept of inclusive place branding (Kavaratzis et al., 2017); its future conceptual development could benefit from the case examples at hand. Practical implications City authorities should listen to residents and provide them with opportunities to actively contribute to decision-making. Other cities could learn from the examples introduced in the paper. Originality/value This paper documents two Nordic examples of cities putting into practice a policy of listening to the residents, a previously neglected research area.

Social Media and Citizen Engagement

2013 ◽  
pp. 225-238
Author(s):  
Charlie E. Cabotaje ◽  
Erwin A. Alampay
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Real Life ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Citizen Engagement ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
First Case ◽  
Use Of Social Media

Increased access and the convenience of participation to and through the internet encourage connectivity among citizens. These new and enhanced connections are no longer dependent on real-life, face-to-face interactions, and are less restricted by the boundaries of time and space (Frissen, 2005). In this chapter, two cases from the Philippines are documented and assessed in order to look at online citizen engagement. The first case looks at how people participate in promoting tourism in the Philippines through social media. The second case involves their use of social media for disaster response. Previous studies on ICTs and participation in the Philippines have looked at the role of intermediaries (see Alampay, 2002). Since then, the role of social media, in particular that of Facebook and Twitter, has grown dramatically and at times completely circumvents traditional notions of intermediation. The role of Facebook, in particular, will be highlighted in this chapter, and the authors will analyze its effectiveness, vis-à-vis traditional government channels for communication and delivery of similar services. By looking at these two cases and assessing the abovementioned aspects, it is hoped that the use of social media can be seen as an integral part of e-governance especially in engaging citizens to participate in local and national governance.

The Role of Digital Service Encounters on Customers' Perceptions of Companies

2010 ◽  
pp. 88-97
Author(s):  
Kristina Heinonen
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Service Encounter ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Customer Perceptions ◽  
Digital Service ◽  
A Company ◽  
E Mail

The service encounter occurs whenever a customer interacts with a company personally or through technology through, for example, the Internet, e-mail, or telephone. Nowadays, customers frequently initiate the encounter as, for example, inquiries, information searches, and complaints are conveniently performed online. This article explores the role of digital service encounters on customer perceptions of companies. Digital service encounters in this article denote remote customer-company interactions via the Internet or e-mail. The focus is on active customers initiating interactions and on customer perceptions of company responses to these interactions. A conceptual framework that captures customer perceived service encounter value on two dimensions (responsiveness and personalization) is proposed. An empirical study exploring the value of company responses to digital contacts indicated that many contacts are responded to promptly and satisfyingly. However, there are also significant differences in the value of the service encounter. Some service encounters are perceived as unpersonalized, and some are even left without response.

Mobile Educational Technology

2011 ◽  
pp. 1424-1431
Author(s):  
Chris Houser ◽  
Patricia Thornton
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Collaborative Problem Solving ◽  
Personal Digital Assistants ◽  
Web Pages ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Web Interfaces ◽  
E Mail

Mobile devices such as laptop computers, PDAs (personal digital assistants), and cell phones offer many features useful for learning both inside and outside classrooms. These devices offer access to Web pages and e-mail, and provide other functions such as textual noting and video cameras. They promise a single, easily learned device that can be useful in a variety of educational settings. When used appropriately, these devices can enrich the learning experience by connecting learners with each other, their environment, and with information providers. They can enable collaborative problem solving by providing easy face-to-face sharing of data through IR (infrared) beaming or distance sharing through e-mail and Web interfaces. For learners who require repetitive practice for skills development, mobile devices offer a personal tool that can be used anytime, anywhere for quick review. Because of their low cost and ease of use, mobile devices have the potential to bring the power of a computer to every learner.

Between Individuality and Collectiveness

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Kavada
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Global Justice ◽  
Individual Autonomy ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Global Justice Movement ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Unity In Diversity ◽  
Communication Practices ◽  
Use Of The Internet

Decentralized and internally diverse, the Global Justice Movement (GJM) is thought to be influenced by its use of the internet. Operating in an environment characterized by the conditions of globalization and late modernity, the movement strives to be a collective that accommodates individual difference. Focusing on the organizing process of the European Social Forum, this article examines the role of email lists and physical meetings in realizing this ‘unity in diversity’. Based on interviews with movement activists and a content analysis of three email lists, this article examines how online and face-to-face communication practices engender different dynamics in terms of individuality and collectiveness. While communication on email lists tends to afford divergence, diversity, and individual autonomy, face-to-face contact enables convergence, unity and the affirmation of the collective. Thus, it is the combination of those two modes of communication that helps the movement to fuse seemingly opposing dynamics.

scholarly journals Tüketimin Değişen Yüzü: Elektronik Ticaret Uygulamaları ve Sosyal Paylaşım Ağlarının Rolü / The Changing Face of Consumption: E-Commerce Applications And The Role of Social Networks

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Büşra Halis
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Human History ◽  
Conceptual Content ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Past ◽  
Over Time

İnsanlık tarihi kadar eski olan tüketim, zaman içerisinde yaşanan değişim ve dönüşümlerle birlikte yeni bir boyut kazanmıştır. Eskinin, ihtiyacı kadar almak ve çalışmak gibi fenemonlerinin yerini, günümüzde daha çok satın almak için çalışmak, tükettiğinin ölçüsünde var olabilmek ya da olamamak almıştır. Tüketimin soyut anlamda kavramsal içeriğinin farklılaşmasının yanı sıra, tüketim araçları da farklılaşmıştır. Artık, yüz yüze görüşmeler yoluyla yapılan alışverişlerin yerini; fiziki mekândan bağımsız, internet üzerinden e-ticaret yoluyla ve birtakım paylaşım ağları aracılığıyla yapılan alışverişler almıştır. Bu çalışmada da, tüketimin ve tüketimde kullanılan araçların geçmişten bugüne değişen anlamı ve bu değişimi körükleyen sosyal ağ paradigması tartışılmaktadır. The Changing Face of Consumption: E-Commerce Applications And The Role of Social Networks Consumption, which is as old as human history has gained a new dimension with changes and transformations in the course of time. In the past, people bought and worked as they needed, but now, they work to buy more things except necessity and they be or not to be until they consumed. Over time, the conceptual content and tools of the consumption has changed. Shopping, which is done independent of the physical space, via the internet through e-commerce replaced shopping made by face to face. In this work, the changing meaning and tools of consumption from past to present and the paradigm of social networks which encouraging this change is to be held.

scholarly journals The role of the internet in the proliferation of new acronyms in the Russian language

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-387
Author(s):  
Thomas Bruns ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Communication ◽  
Digital Communication ◽  
Russian Language ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Maximum Range ◽  
Full Form ◽  
Technical Features ◽  
E Mail ◽  
The Russian Language

This paper focuses on a special form of English borrowing: the use of acronyms with phraseological meaning. The Russian computer language, more precisely the Russian computer slang, is unthinkable without the influence of English. This influence is manifested at various language levels and in a variety of forms (borrowings, calques and half-calques, univerbats, reverse derivatives, alphabetic and alphanumeric abbreviations, “distorted forms” of both full names and acronyms). Based on the English abbreviations, first the meaning of the respective full form is explained in English and then its fate is illustrated in the Russian host language. Comparison with German, which also borrowed a large number of such abbreviations, shows similarities and differences in the processing of these phraseological units. The term “digital communication” here refers not only to communication on the Internet in a narrower sense (chats, forums, e-mail, etc.), but also to such channels as SMS, Twitter, WhatsApp, and others. The Internet plays a double role in the development of the modern Russian language: firstly, as a means of mass communication that provides an opportunity to popularize new linguistic phenomena in the shortest possible time and with maximum range, and secondly, as a generator of new linguistic forms that would be impossible without the Internet itself. One part of these neologisms refers to the technical features of digital communication and the tools necessary for it, while the other part refers to the implementation of a new communicative style that is clearly different from analogue communication in its oral and written forms.

scholarly journals PENGGUNAAN INTERNET OLEH DOSEN BERDASAR GENDER DAN GENERASI

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Rina Sari Kusuma
Keyword(s):  
Generation Y ◽  
Internet Usage ◽  
The Other ◽  
Internet Technology ◽  
Technology Literacy ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Usage Pattern ◽  
E Mail ◽  
Main Factor

The usage of internet in higher education is increasing. This system is beingimplemented for efficiency and effectivity of communication and activity monitoring among the academicians. On the other hand, not all academicians have the exact same technology literacy. Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta is one of top university in Indonesia that already use many internet based programmes in their academic and administration activities. The purpose of this research see how the role of gender and generation affect the internet usage of academicians in UMS. Internet usage pattern covers items such as knowledge and experience on the internet, purpose of using internet, and frequency of using e-mail. The result shows that generation become the main factor that influence the pattern and optimalization usage of the internet than the gender one. Academicians that belong to Generation Y or milineal is the generation that has the highest potential of maximalize the internet technology, especially for academic activity.

User Attitudes to E-Government Citizen Services in Europe

2011 ◽  
pp. 2634-2642
Author(s):  
Jeremy Millard
Keyword(s):  
Data Privacy ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Government Services ◽  
New Information ◽  
User Attitudes ◽  
Potential Demand ◽  
The Uk ◽  
European Union Member States

In 2005, the eUSER project undertook a questionnaire survey covering about 10,000 households in 10 European Union member states, the purpose of which was to provide some of the first systematic evidence in Europe of citizen user behaviour and their attitudes to the use of public services, and particularly the role of e-services in this context. The survey focused on a number of themes — the public’s use of government services, the different channels (or media) employed, the nature of potential future demand for e-government, the barriers and experiences in using e-government, and the socio-economic attributes of e-government users compared with non-users. The results provide important new information on the role that the Internet is now playing in the delivery and take-up of government services by European citizens. Face-to-face contact is still the most important channel for contacting government in Europe. In some countries (e.g., the UK), however, telephone and post have overtaken face-to-face. Results also show that potential demand for e-government services is about 50% of all government users and could be higher. One quarter of individual e-government users have acted as intermediaries for family members or friends, and one quarter have also done so on behalf of their employer. Most barriers that users anticipate they will meet when using e-government relate to difficulty in actually starting, with a feeling that face-to-face is better and the fear about data privacy important. However, once citizens have used e-government services, the barriers appear less, though still important, and relate mainly to the difficulty of feeling left alone with problems or questions.

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