Understanding the Culture of Young Internet Users in a Rapidly Changing Society

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Lichy ◽  
Maher Kachour

The context of this study is Internet user behaviour among young people, at a time when information and communication technologies (ICT) are rapidly transforming how individuals behave in the online environment. The intention is to provide a snapshot of Internet user behaviour, with particular reference to social networking, in order to further our understanding of the various activities pursued by young Internet users in a non-Anglophone perspective. The study uses survey method to gather data on the thoughts, experiences and behaviours of young Internet users in order to explain their online routine activities. The findings reveal the extent to which certain national differences are indeed apparent when using the Internet, suggesting that the widespread adoption of Internet technology has not generated ‘standardised' Internet user behaviour.

Author(s):  
Jessica Lichy ◽  
Maher Kachour

This study focuses on the Internet user behaviour of young people, at a time when information and communication technologies (ICT) are rapidly transforming how individuals behave and interact in the online environment. The intention is to put forward a snapshot of contemporary Internet user behaviour, with reference to social networking, and thus provide an overview and understanding of the various online activities undertaken by Generation Y and Generation Z in a non-Anglophone context. The study uses a mixed methods approach to gather data on the thoughts, experiences and behaviours of young Internet users in order to explain their social networking. The findings suggest commonality and disparity between Generation Y and Generation Z. They also reveal the extent to which certain national differences are less apparent when using social networks, suggesting that the widespread adoption of Internet technology is generating a somewhat ‘standardised' Internet user behaviour.


Author(s):  
Jun Liu

Over the past decades, waves of political contention involving the use of information and communication technologies have swept across the globe. The phenomenon stimulates the scholarship on digital communication technologies and contentious collective action to thrive as an exciting, relevant, but highly fragmentary and contested field with disciplinary boundaries. To advance the interdisciplinary understanding, Shifting Dynamics of Contention in the Digital Age outlines a communication-centered framework that articulates the intricate relationship between technology, communication, and contention. It further prods us to engage more critically with existing theories from communication, sociology, and political science on digital technologies and political movements. Given the theoretical endeavor, Shifting Dynamics of Contention in the Digital Age systematically explores, for the first time, the influence of mobile technology on political contention in China, the country with the world’s largest number of mobile and Internet users. Using first-hand in-depth interview and fieldwork data, it tracks the strategic choice of mobile phones as repertoires of contention, illustrates the effective mobilization of mobile communication on the basis of its strong and reciprocal social ties, and identifies the communicative practice of forwarding officially alleged “rumors” as a form of everyday resistance. Through this ground-breaking study, Shifting Dynamics of Contention in the Digital Age presents a nuanced portrayal of an emerging dynamics of contention—both its strengths and limitations—through the embedding of mobile communication into Chinese society and politics.


This study aims to explore the environment, behaviour patterns, and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for knowledge sharing (KS) practices by the professionals from different sectors in Bangladesh. This study employs the quantitative approach and a survey method. The findings show that the professionals held positive perceptions about KS practices and most of them believe that KS practices can enhance their professional efficiency. While most professionals found ICTs useful for KS, they faced technological problems in addition to communication and social problems in sharing knowledge.


2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 540-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Mattoni ◽  
Diego Ceccobelli

The relationship between media and politics today is deeply entrenched in the wide use of information and communication technologies to the point that scholars speak about the emergence of hybrid media systems in which older and newer media logics combine. However, it is still unclear how the configuration of hybrid media systems changes across countries today, especially with regard to the interconnection between media and politics. In the article, we aim to develop a theoretical framework to capture such national differences. In so doing, we want to develop a heuristic device to understand whether the transformations brought about by information and communication technologies in the media and political realm also contribute to reshaping national media systems and to what extent. After outlining the main scope of the article in the ‘Introduction’ section, we discuss the theoretical framework that Hallin and Mancini developed to compare media systems across countries, and we present this framework’s main strengths and weaknesses when used as a tool for understanding the relationship between media and politics in the digital era. We then argue for the need for an updated and expanded version of such a theoretical framework: first, we update its four original dimensions (structure of media market, political parallelism, state intervention and journalistic professionalism) transversely including information and communication technologies–related indicators; second, we expand the original theoretical framework with one new dimension (grassroots participation) and the related indicators. In the ‘Conclusion’ section, we summarize our theoretical proposal and present some indicators and potential comparative data sources to assess similarities and differences of national media systems across countries. Finally, we also note two limitations of the article.


Author(s):  
Begoña Peral-Peral ◽  
Ángel F. Villarejo-Ramos ◽  
Manuel J. Sánchez-Franco

Social Network Sites (SNS) have very rapidly become part of the daily reality of Internet users in recent years. Firms also use social networks as a two-way communication with their current and potential customers. This exploratory work means to analyze if Internet users’ gender influences the behavior of using social networks. There is a reason for this. Despite Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) acceptance and use being more frequent in men, according to the previous literature, in line with different surveys on the subject, social networks are more used by women. The authors, therefore, analyze in this chapter if there are gender differences in the constructs of technology’s classic models, such as the TAM (Technology Acceptance Model) and the TPB (Theory of Planned Behavior). They use a sample of 1,460 university students.


Author(s):  
Vaggelis Saprikis

Contemporary commerce is completely different as regards features some years ago. Nowadays, a considerable number of individuals and firms take advantage of the information and communication technologies and conduct transactions online. In particular, the mobile industry along with the broad use of social networks and improvements in the internet bandwidth worldwide has created a completely different business environment. Consequently, the technology incited many consumers to cross-border e-shopping, allowing access to a wider variety of products and services, and in numerous circumstances, access to cheaper goods. The purpose of this chapter is to investigate the perceptions internet users have towards e-shops focusing on Greece. More precisely, it aims to find out whether there are contingent differences on customers' perceptions regarding domestic vs. international e-shops, since a gradually augmented number of people have been expressing their preference on non-domestic e-stores for their purchases. Additionally, the chapter intends to shed light on the difficulty in understanding vital aspects of e-consumer behaviour.


Author(s):  
Vaggelis Saprikis

Contemporary commerce is completely different as regards features some years ago. Nowadays, a considerable number of individuals and firms take advantage of the information and communication technologies and conduct transactions online. In particular, the mobile industry along with the broad use of social networks and improvements in the internet bandwidth worldwide has created a completely different business environment. Consequently, the technology incited many consumers to cross-border e-shopping, allowing access to a wider variety of products and services, and in numerous circumstances, access to cheaper goods. The purpose of this chapter is to investigate the perceptions internet users have towards e-shops focusing on Greece. More precisely, it aims to find out whether there are contingent differences on customers' perceptions regarding domestic vs. international e-shops, since a gradually augmented number of people have been expressing their preference on non-domestic e-stores for their purchases. Additionally, the chapter intends to shed light on the difficulty in understanding vital aspects of e-consumer behaviour.


2015 ◽  
pp. 1509-1527
Author(s):  
Malgorzata Pankowska

E-Government and e-Democracy system development is enabled by Internet technology. The implementation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) accelerates the transformation of government institutions and their methods of operations. The use of ICTs at municipality institutions not only opens up possibilities for improving services to citizens and businesses, but also increases their involvement in local community governance. The general objective of this chapter is to reveal, at the municipality level, the opportunity for local community development and stronger citizen involvement in governing processes (e-Democracy). The chapter aims to present the new sources of knowledge, particularly through the involvement of individuals in local government development. The chapter aims to understand challenges in developing open information infrastructures that support municipality innovation and development. The chapter utilizes extensive literature reviews and the analysis of the content of selected e-Government portals to inform its positions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaggelis Saprikis

Nowadays, the broad Internet utilization and the advancement of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have greatly changed the way goods and services are bought and sold. As a consequence, even more online users prefer not only to shop online, but also purchase abroad taking advantage of Internet's limitless feature. Thus, technology's success has stimulated the process of cross-border e-shopping, allowing fast, less costly communication, as well as access to a wider variety of goods and services. The purpose of this consumer-oriented approach paper is to examine the perceptions of Greek Internet users concerning e-shops. In specific, it aims to reveal if there are differences on users' perceptions regarding Greek versus international e-shops, as even more individuals visit non-domestic online stores for their e-purchases. Hence, it provides tangible results to an under-explored area of online shopping and shed light on the difficulty of understanding important aspects of e-shopping behavior; presenting vital implications to both academia and practitioners.


Author(s):  
Lena Zamorshchikova ◽  
Olga Egorova ◽  
Marina Popova

This paper discusses recent uses of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in fostering Internet-based projects for learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at the Faculty of Foreign Languages in Yakutsk State University, Russia.  It covers the authors’ experiences integrating   distance education and creating educational resources within the Moodle LMS and wiki projects based on Web 2.0 social networking technologies. Also it discusses our international project, Net-based Course Development: English through Digital Storyline, in cooperation with the University of Tromsø, Norway.


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