File as of 4/12/12

1. Connectivity and Community:
Reconsidering the Digital Divide
Hovig Tchalian, Lecturer
Viterbi School, Engineering Writing Program

2. TOYOTA COMMERCIAL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUGmcb3mhLM

3. Findings from a Pew Research Center study (June 2011)
Users of social networking sites…
•Have more “close ties” than the average American
•Are “half as likely” to be socially isolated as the average American
•Receive more social support than those not using the sites
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/02/12/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-living-alone/social-media-as-community

4. ALL CELL PHONE USERS
100%
o
ak
nf
m
re
do
ei
ab
iat
re
bo
ed
t
g
75%
ge
t in
m
f
of
to
ac
im
er
ve
ff,
t
in t
Ge
st a
o
ne
id
lp
ho
vo
He
50%
dp
oa
ne
et
r
on
Tu
ph
ed
51%
Us
25%
42%
29%
13%
0%
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Cell-Phones/Key-Findings.aspx

5. YOUNG ADULTS (18-29)
ed
or
nb
he
t, w
en
nm
tai
o
er
100% inf
nt
ve
re
rie
fo
ak
ng
et
ed
re
r
ti
ab
Us
kly
ac
er
ic
t
75%
ge
Qu
int
to
id
vo
ff,
o
oa
ne
et
ho
on
50%
dp
ph
ne
ed
r
Tu
Us
64% 70%
25%
32% 30%
0%
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Cell-Phones/Key-Findings.aspx

6. YOUNG ADULTS (18-29)
ed
or
nb
he
t, w
en
nm
tai
o
er
100% inf
nt
ve
re
rie
fo
ak
ng
et
ed
re
r
ti
ab
Us
kly
ac
er
ic
t
75%
ge
Qu
int
to
id
vo
ff,
o
oa
ne
et
ho
on
50%
dp
ph
ne Toyota
ed
r
Tu
Us
64% 70% commercial
25%
32% 30%
0%
vs.
13%
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Cell-Phones/Key-Findings.aspx

7. Findings published in New Media and Society (Nov. 2011)
•“Social media users knew people from a greater variety of backgrounds”
•“Much of this diversity was a result of people using these technologies who
simultaneously spent an impressive amount of time socializing outside of the house”
substitute for socializing complement to socializing
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/02/12/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-living-alone/social-media-as-community

8. Findings from a Pew Research Center study (June 2011)
Conclusion:
“There is little evidence that social media is responsible for a trend of isolation, or a loss
of intimacy and social support.”
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/02/12/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-living-alone/social-media-as-community

10. not in Toyota
commercial
Strengthening
existing relationships

11. Glaring Irony: site (complete with cricket sounds) leads kids
… back to the forest

12. YOUNG ADULTS (18-29)
ed
or
nb
he
t, w
en
nm
tai
o
er
100% inf
nt
ve
re
rie
fo
ak
ng
et
ed
re
r
ti
ab
Us
kly
ac
er
ic
t
75%
ge
Qu
int
to
id
vo
ff,
o
oa
ne
et
ho
on
50%
dp
ph
ne
ed
r
Tu
Us
64% 70%
25%
32% 30%
0%
vs.
More “fidgety” 42%
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Cell-Phones/Key-Findings.aspx

13. YOUNG ADULTS (18-29)
ed
or
nb
he
t, w
en
nm
tai
o
er
100% inf
nt
ve
re
rie
fo
ak
ng
et
ed
re
r
ti
ab
Us
kly
ac
er
ic
t
75%
ge
Qu
int
to
id
vo
ff,
o
oa
ne
et
ho
on
50%
dp
ph
ne
ed
r
Tu
Us
64% 70%
25%
32% 30%
0%
vs.
29% But also less “plugged in”
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Cell-Phones/Key-Findings.aspx

15. The Bottom Half…

16. The Top Half…

17. Results: You are an Ambivalent Networker (Me)
If you are an Ambivalent Networker, you have folded mobile devices
into how you run your social life, whether through texting or online
social networking tools. You also rely on ICTs* for entertainment.
At the same time – perhaps because of the volume of digital pings
from others – you may sometimes find all your connectivity to be
intrusive. You are confident in your ability to troubleshoot your
various information devices and services.
*Information and Communication Technologies

18. Results: You are a Digital Collaborator (Students?)
If you are a Digital Collaborator, you use information technology to
work with and share your creations with others. You are
enthusiastic about how ICTs help you connect with others and
confident in your ability to manage digital devices and information.
For you, the digital commons can be a camp, a lab, or a theater
group – places to gather with others to develop something new.

19. Findings from a Cambridge University study (July 2011)
•1 in 3 people felt “overwhelmed” by new communication technology
•65% of adults and 64% of children prefer communicating “in person”
•People are happier when they feel they can control new technology
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8615989/One-in-three-overwhelmed-by-technology.html

20. Applications
1. Norms and “noise”
3. Blended activities
5. Connectivity and community

21. Applications
• Norms and “noise”
• Blended activities
• Connectivity and community

22. NORMS
NOISE

23. Applications
• Norms and “noise”
• Blended activities
• Connectivity and community

25. Applications
• Norms and “noise”
• Blended activities
• Connectivity and community

26. In Short…

27. connectivity
community

28. APPENDIX

29. http://news.bookweb.org/graphics/articles/200903/adoption.jpg

33. DISCOVER THE FOREST ads: billboards and online

38. A recent follow-up study, “Social Networking Sites and Our Lives” (Pew Research
Center), found that the average user of a social networking site had more close ties
than and was half as likely to be socially isolated as the average American. Additionally,
my co-authors and I, in another article published in New Media & Society, found not
only that social media users knew people from a greater variety of backgrounds, but
also that much of this diversity was a result of people using these technologies who
simultaneously spent an impressive amount of time socializing outside of the house.
A number of studies, including my own and those of Matthew Brashears (a sociologist
at Cornell), have found that Americans have fewer intimate relationships today than 20
years ago. However, a loss of close friends does not mean a loss of support. Because of
cellphones and social media, those we depend on are more accessible today than at any
point since we lived in small, village-like settlements.
Social media has made every relationship persistent and pervasive. We no longer lose
social ties over our lives; we have Facebook friends forever. The constant feed of status
updates and digital photos from our online social circles is the modern front porch. This
is why, in “Social Networking Sites and Our Lives,” there was a clear trend for those who
used these technologies to receive more social support than other people.
The data backs it up. There is little evidence that social media is responsible for a trend
of isolation, or a loss of intimacy and social support.
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/02/12/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-living-alone/social-media-as-community

39. •Cell phones are useful for quick information retrieval (so much so that their absence can cause problems)
– Half of all adult cell owners (51%) had used their phone at least once to get information they needed right
away. One quarter (27%) said that they experienced a situation in the previous month in which they had
trouble doing something because they did not have their phone at hand.
•Cell phones are an important tool in emergency situations – 40% of cell owners said they found
themselves in an emergency situation in which having their phone with them helped.
•Cell phones can help stave off boredom – 42% of cell owners used their phone for entertainment when
they were bored.
•Despite their advantages, some cell phone owners just need an occasional break – 29% of cell owners
turned their phone off for a period of time just to get a break from using it.
•With advantages comes frustration – 20% of cell owners experienced frustration because their phone was
taking too long to download something; 16% had difficulty reading something on their phone because the
screen was too small; and 10% had difficulty entering a lot of text on their phone.
•Cell phones can help prevent unwanted personal interactions – 13% of cell owners pretended to be using
their phone in order to avoid interacting with the people around them.
Young adults (those between the ages of 18 and 29) are especially likely to say that they have encountered
several of these situations recently:
•70% of 18-29 year old cell owners have used their phone for entertainment when they were bored
•64% have used their phone to quickly retrieve information they needed
•42% have had trouble doing something because they did not have their phone nearby
•30% have used their phone to avoid interacting with the people around them
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Cell-Phones/Key-Findings.aspx

40. New communications technology makes one in three people feel ‘overwhelmed’, according to a
new study from Cambridge University.
The eight-month research project, which also examined other countries, found that while
Britons overwhelmingly viewed new technology such as mobile phones and social networks as a
positive thing, 38 per cent of 10-14 year olds felt that too much of it could be upsetting; 34 per
cent of 25-34 reported feeling similarly.
Young people, however, did not say that they favoured digital communication over face-to-face.
While 65 per cent of adults said they preferred communicating in person, the same was also
true for 64 per cent of children.
Those people who felt overwhelmed by new technology were also more likely to feel unsatisfied
in other areas of their lives. Individuals who retained control over new technology generally felt
happier.
Professor John Clarkson, director of the Engineering Design Centre at the University of
Cambridge and Principal Investigator of the study, said families who had a better understanding
of their use of communications technology appeared to have a more balanced and positive
relationship with it. “There is much discussion about whether communications technology is
affecting us for the better or worse. The research has shown that communications technology is
seen by most as a positive tool but there are examples where people are not managing usage as
well as they could be.” He added, “it is not necessarily the amount but the way in which it is
used.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8615989/One-in-three-overwhelmed-by-technology.html