Ex-Internet use amongst young people in Britain

Dr Rebecca Eynon & Dr Anne Genietshttp://www.oii.ox.ac.uk

Internet (non) use in Britain

• Relatively well connected country– Around 70% of households have Internet access – Free Internet access available in libraries– All young people use the Internet at

school/college

• Yet 10% of young people (17-23) consider themselves to be ex Internet users

Aims of study

1. Why this is the case?• Due to digital exclusion or choice?

2. What are the implications?

Factors in understanding (non) use

• Psychological (attitudes, motivations and agency towards the Internet, learning & everyday life)

• Cognitive (operational skills, critical skills, literacy and awareness of opportunity)

• Physical (quality of Internet access, access & use of other technologies)

• Socio-cultural (family, friends, school, work, community)

• Material (occupation, income, education)

Survey analysis

• Typology of ex-use – 5 groups– Proximity to the Internet– Gradual inclusion of all five factors (psychological,

cognitive, physical, socio-cultural, material)

• Informed sampling strategy of interview study

Understanding ex-use

• The majority of young people in our study who identified themselves as ex-Internet users did technically “use” the Internet

• This use was typically infrequent, narrow in range, and / or via other people

• Reflected a change in access, amount or nature of use

• Did not see themselves as an Internet user

Psychological

• Recognition of the Internet as a normal part of everyday life

• A very tool based and functional attitude towards going online, with no evidence of a more experimental approach

Cognitive

• Some problems with core literacy skills• Not everyone used email or knew how to use

it properly• Mixed levels of information seeking skills• A lack of skills were compounded by others

assumptions that they should know how to use the Internet

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Inaccurate assumptions

• At the Jobcentre everyone was like send a CV via email and I was like (...) how do I do that? And I didn’t want to ask anyone. I was like I should know this, I should know this by now. (Nick)

Physical

• Some had a smartphone, but it was not necessarily connected

• Using the Internet on a mobile device tended to be seen differently to using the Internet on a computer

04/09/23

Looking the part

• It just seems normal for a 17 year old to be walking around either texting or on Facebook, it just looks normal (…) other people will not know if I am doing it or not, if I am on my phone I could be texting or doing anything. (Jack)

Socio-cultural

• School was often the first place and sometimes the only place they had used the Internet

• Proxy use was apparent, sometimes central• Not many instances where these contexts

tended to extend or develop their uses of the Internet in any meaningful way

Limited networks of support

• In a sense I felt left out (…)but it was like there was nothing I could really do about it. Like I mentioned it to my mum about the Internet, about getting a computer, but she was like, “no it is too expensive”(…) well there was nothing I could do – I can’t force her to get it. I didn’t know how to use it anyway (…) but it could have been [useful] (…) (Karen)

Material

• Many did not have significant resource with respect to education, occupation and income, and this influenced their (non) Internet use

• A group where there was a heightened need to use the Internet in order to search for jobs and housing, put their own perspectives and views across etc

04/09/23

The five factors & perceived need

• It [the Internet] is not important to me because I’ve gotten by without using, it. (…) I do understand that in this time, now, Internet is really, really important, and that you know, so much can be done on the Internet. It’s true, but there is still a lot that you can do without the Internet. (George)

Key issues

• A story primarily of exclusion rather than choice • Problems of the UK ‘digital by default’ strategy• Digital native discourse has particularly negative

implications for this group• Targeted intervention is important• Not just about removal of barriers (access, cost etc),

but about providing ways to support the freedom to use the Internet

• Schools are key in this process (skills, access, experience)