The Internet as One of the Most Important Things in Our Study and Social Life - Research Paper Example

The Internet has become more one of the most important things in our study and social life Institution Course Name Instructors Name Date of submission Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2 1.1 Aim 2 1.2 Background 3 2. Method 3 2.1 Secondary sources 3 2.2 Primary sources 4 2.2.1 Subjects 4 2.2.2 Questionnaire preparation 4 2.2.3 Procedure for administering the questionnaire and collecting the results 4 3.0 Results and discussion 5 4. Conclusion 10 Table of figures Figure 1. Internet usage in hours 5 Figure 2 frequency of social networks 6 Figure 3 Purpose of using internet 7 Figure 4 How internet is used for study purposes 8 Figure 5 internet hours spent on Facebook 9 1. Introduction 1.1 Aim The aim of this report is to investigate the importance of the internet in the social lives and studies for young people in the city of Melbourne. 1.2 Background Internet usage in has increased tremendously in the 21st century. Such growth is liked to increased access to computers and other internet enabled portable devices such as mobile phones and tablets. In the city of Melbourne, internet usage has been growing steadily especially among the youth. The fascination with the internet among the youth is mainly because of social and study purposes. The internet can be a valuable source of information necessary for studies if used wisely. Students can access online libraries and even purchase books online. Furthermore, a number of higher learning institutions offer their courses over the internet in what is popularly known as online learning. Other people prefer using the internet for social purposes through social websites such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and YouTube. These social tools have literally led to a cultural shift in the way people interact with others in Australia and worldwide (Australia Law reform Commission, 2012). In fact, the influence of social network saw the 2007 Australian general elections labelled “the YouTube election” (Macnamara 2010, p. 163). The name ‘friend’ has gained a different meaning courtesy of Facebook. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (2012) reports that internet speeds in the country have increased, with Melbourne being among the areas that have registered the highest growth. This has actively contributed to an increase in the number of users. Furthermore, the number of internet service providers in Melbourne has increased leading to a fall in prices. This report consists of four sections. The first section contains the introduction which gives a general overview of the topic. Section 2 contains the methodology and the third section carries the data analysis part of the report. The fourth section contains the study results and discussion. The study is finalised by a conclusions sections. 2. Method 2.1 Secondary sources A preliminary research was conducted using books, websites and journal articles from Google scholar. The online search, both for websites and journal articles was made using key terms and phrases on the Google search engine. Websites provided the most recent information on web usage though it could be biased given that it expresses the opinions of people already using the internet. The books show general theory on social interactions and trends in internet usage. Journal articles on the other hand presented findings of past studies on the topic. 2.2 Primary sources 2.2.1 Subjects Random sampling method was used to identify a sample of 20 willing Melbourne residents to fill out questionnaires. The sample comprised of ten males and ten females all of sound mind and aged between 18 and 30. These individuals were spotted randomly on the street and within the campus. 2.2.2 Questionnaire preparation The questionnaires were prepared through a process that sought to narrow down from the general theme of the research topic to the individual objectives of the study. The first step of the questionnaires’ preparation was brainstorming. Numerous possible questions on the research topic were written down. The second step involved consultation with class work, past research and facts on internet usage in Melbourne from secondary sources. The third step, involved sorting out questions to the fifteen most relevant ones. The questions were mainly closed with answers based on negative/positive, multiple choice and Likert scale style with only a few questions being open ended. 2.2.3 Procedure for administering the questionnaire and collecting the results Upon expressing willingness to participate, the respondents were issued with the questionnaires forms. In some cases, the researcher read out the questionnaires to the respondents to save time. These processes of filing out questionnaires took place mainly in the streets of the city or campus. The results were tallied and presented using Microsoft excel. 3.0 Results and discussion 3.1 Hours spent on spent internet daily Figure 1. Internet usage in hours Figure 1 shows the patterns in internet use in Melbourne. As the figure shows, male internet users and student internet users spend the longest time of 6-7 hrs on the internet each at 30%. Females and non-students spend the least time of about 1-2hrs on the internet with females at 50% and students at 34%. Using the internet for 3-5hrs daily seems to be the most common trend. The moderate usage of the internet at 3-5hrs by the four groups indicates the growing reliance on the internet on various fronts. However, some groups such as non-students and females show minimal interest in internet use. This can be explained by the fact that females tend stay away from technological gadgets and since subjects. As for non students, relatively lower internet use could be directed to family commitments and work. 3.2 Usage of social networks Figure 2 frequency of social networks Facebook is the most popular choice by females and students all at 35% each. Non students have the highest preference for YouTube at 40%. This can be explained by the fact that non-students have more time at their disposal that to watch lengthy video clips on YouTube as opposed to students who can only manage shorter periods of time hence they go for Facebook and Twitter that is better suited for shorter periods use. 3.3 Purpose of using internet Figure 3 Purpose of using internet Majority of students at 70% use the internet for studying. Interestingly, there was no non-student respondent who reported to use the internet for studying. However, this cannot be attributed to difficulties in using the internet as none of the reported serious difficulties in using it. Males and females scored the same in usage of internet for study and for fun at 25% and 35% respectively. Non- students widely used the internet for fun at 40%. With such a high number of males, females and non-students reporting using the internet for fun, the low number of students who supported this option is unreasonably low (Copyright agency 2012). This could be due to the assumption by some students that fun on the internet could be interpreted wrongly as pornographic content. 3.4 Use of internet for studying Figure 4 How internet is used for study purposes The most frequent amount of internet time used by students (55%), males (50%) and females (60%) for studying is 4-5 hrs. Only 1% of the non-student respondents use 1-3hrs for studying with the rest not using the internet at all for studying. This could mean several things. One is that internet availability outside learning institutions is limited or that non students are yet to embrace the internet as a learning tool. 3.5 Time spent on Facebook Figure 5 internet hours spent on Facebook Females tend to spend the most amount of time on Facebook with 60% of them spending 3-4hrs daily on the site. According to a study by Bumgarner, many people, mainly women, use Facebook primarily to gossip while criminals use it for data mining (Debatin et al 2009; Foregger 2008, p. 35). On the other hand, use of Facebook by students for 1-2hrs is high at 60%. This could mean that desire to spend more time on Facebook could be present though limited by academic demands. In some of the open ended questions, common themes emerged in some responses. On the importance of the internet, majority of respondents argued that it has improved learning, enabled easier social networking, opened up new business industries and eased communication. In other results, respondents highlighted the main negative and positive effects of the internet on children. Exposure to phonographic content on the internet was the most mentioned negative effect. Use of the internet as a learning tool emerged as the most popular positive effect. This report shows the ways that youth travel by it in Melbourne. Also, it is shows the positive and negative things of travel and what the difficulties are that youth face in travel. Firstly, the trams and the trains are the most popular transport type’s youth use in Melbourne. Secondly, most of the youth travel with their friends and they have more fun if they travel with them. Thirdly, the rest station on the road is a good idea for youth and they strongly agree with it. Finally, there are different opinions between the man and the woman about travelling to different countries. 4. Conclusion The study gives a snapshot of how residents of Melbourne use the internet. The study shows that the internet comprises the major component of the respondents’ study life and social life. One of the positive outcomes of increased internet access in Melbourne is increased acceptance as a learning tool among students. However, the same cannot be said among non-students. While internet is largely beneficial to both the young and old in terms of communication, learning and social networking, a section of the people is concerned that the internet will corrupt societal morals with children have easier access to phonographic content. References ABS. 2012. Internet Activity, Australia, June 2011, 2012, Accessed online on 27th June 2012 from, Australia Law reform Commission, 2012, Children, Young People and Attitudes to Privacy, Accessed online on 27th June 2012 from, Copyright agency 2012, Accessed online on 27th June 2012 from, Debatin, B, Lovejoy, J, Horn, A and Hughes, B. 2009. Facebook and Online Privacy: Attitudes, Behaviors, and Unintended Consequences. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 15 (2) 83–108. Foregger, S 2008, Uses and Gratifications of Facebook.com. London: ProQuest. MacNamara, J 2007, The 21st Century Media (R)Evolution: Emergent Communication Practices, London: Peter Lang. Appendices Appendix A. Internet activity Australia INTRODUCTION The Internet Activity Survey (IAS) collects details on aspects of internet access services provided by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Australia. This release contains data from ISPs with more than 1,000 subscribers operating in Australia as at 30 June 2011. The Main Features section contains all data reported by ISPs with more than 1,000 subscribers, even for census cycles. Separate data for census cycles are contained in the associated data cubes. The ABS counts subscribers that have an internet connection with an ISP on the last day of the reference period. ABS subscriber statistics measure the number of 'subscriber lines' rather than the number of 'users' and therefore, counts of subscribers are not the same as counts of people/organisations with internet access. This is because some subscribers may have accounts with more than one ISP or multiple accounts with a single ISP. Conversely, there are single ISP subscriber accounts that provide internet access for multiple people/organisations (for example, universities). Decreases in the number of ISPs can be attributed to the consolidation of ISPs or ISPs no longer being in scope, either by ceasing ISP activity or reporting a decrease in the number of subscribers. In reporting sector data, ISPs may reclassify their subscribers from Business and government to Household, or vice versa, or they may report proportions in lieu of actual numbers which may impact upon the reported figures. The ability of ISPs to report the volume of data downloaded is variable. Data presented for these items should only be considered as an indicative measure of internet activity during the reference period and therefore should be used with caution. The occurrence of special events during a cycle may result in abnormally high downloads. Data reported by ISPs for the volume of data downloaded via mobile handsets may only include revenue generating downloads and not monthly data allowances or downloads from free applications. Detailed and historical information is available in the accompanying data cubes. HIGHLIGHTS At the end of June 2011, there were 10.9 million internet subscribers in Australia (excluding internet connections through mobile handsets). This represents annual growth of 14.8% and an increase of 4.4% since the end of December 2010. The phasing out of dial-up internet connections continued with 95% of internet connections being broadband. Australians continued to access increasingly faster download speeds, with 87% of access connections offering a download speed of 1.5Mbps or greater. Mobile wireless internet (excluding mobile handset) connections (44%) now exceed Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connections (41%) in Australia. Mobile wireless (excluding mobile handset connections) was the fastest growing internet access technology in actual numbers, increasing from 4.2 million in December 2010 to 4.8 million in June 2011. Appendix B Leading digital education experts to meet in Melbourne Some of the world’s leading e-learning experts will be in Australia in September to take part in a conference about the strategic, economic and cultural importance of high-quality digital education resources – the missing link in government education reforms. The conference will explore the impact in Australia classrooms of innovations including testing and assessment, game based learning, and the effect of the NBN on the delivery of digital content. More than 200 policy makers, educationalists, teachers, parent groups and academics are expected to attend the futurEDUCATION: Learning in a Digital Age conference in Melbourne on September 6, 2012. International guests will include digital education experts Dr Tom Wikman from Finland, Dr Zuzana Sikorova from the Czech Republic, Dr Ji Young Seo and Dr Nam Chang Woo from South Korea, as well as Australia’s Dr Ken Boston, Prof Jeff Brand and Prof Mike Horsley. Mr José Borghino, from the Australian Publishers Association, said the conference will look at the creative responses required of the publishing industry if the fundamental reforms envisaged by the Gonski Review are to be delivered. “Access for all students to new, exciting and affordable digital resources for the classroom is fundamental to the success of government educational policies. “Australian teachers will soon have high-speed broadband to support the use of interactive whiteboards, laptops and other devices such as the iPad that are now used by their students. “All of that investment is commendable, but what’s missing is an appreciation of the high-quality content now available and being developed that will allow teachers to make the most out of this technology. “This international conference will highlight some of Australia’s world-leading innovations in the educational field and compare them to best practice around the globe. “The ‘gamification’ of educational resources, how to measure student performance and improvement using cutting edge tools; delivering content in new and engaging ways and thinking beyond the textbook are all issues key to a future Australia that is part of a global, innovative knowledge economy,” Mr Borghino said. The symposium, futurEDUCATION: Learning in a Digital Age, is supported by the Australian Publishers Association and Copyright Agency. The 2012 Australian Education Publishing Awards, the most important event in the Australian education publishing calendar, will be held at the same venue, immediately after futurEDUCATION: Learning in a Digital Age. Appendix C 67. Children, Young People and Attitudes to Privacy (Australia Law reform Commission, 2012).) Online social networking Background 67.51 Until recently, the internet was primarily a source of information. Today, however, it is used by many as a means of communication and has become an important part of social relations.[39] 67.52 Many people now engage in online social networking. Social networking websites enable members to meet people; send messages to each other; share information; and to post information, photographs and videos of themselves for others to view.[40] The explosion in the use of social networking websites is part of a cultural shift in the way in which people interact with others. 67.53 The ALRC did not ask a question about online social networking in Issues Paper 31, Review of Privacy (IP 31). This issue has, however, received significant media attention since this Inquiry began. There are now numerous academic papers, media articles and online postings discussing the phenomenon. The increased number of Australian participants using online social networking sites led the ALRC to explore the issue with young people after the release of IP 31. The ALRC has concluded that there are privacy concerns around the practice of online social networking which require further consideration. Appendix D. Debatin et al. Privacy and Facebook: The Visible and the Invisible The privacy concerns delineated above are confirmed by several reports and studies on Facebook. In a report on 23 Internet service companies, the watchdog organization Privacy International charged Facebook with severe privacy flaws and put it in the second lowest category for ‘‘substantial and comprehensive privacy threats’’ (‘‘A Race to the Bottom,’’ 2007). Only Google scored worse; Facebook tied with six other companies. This rating was based on concerns about data matching, data mining, transfers to other companies, and in particular Facebook’s curious policy that it ‘‘may also collect information about [its users] other sources, such as newspapers, blogs, instant messaging services, and other users of the Facebook service’’ (‘‘Facebook Principles,’’ 2007, InformationWe Collect section, para. 8). Already in 2005, Jones and Soltren identified serious flaws in Facebook’s set-up that would facilitate privacy breaches and data mining. At the time, nearly 2 years after Facebook’s inception, users’ passwords were still being sent without encryption, and thus could be easily intercepted by a third party (Jones & Soltren, 2005). This has since been corrected. A simple algorithm could also be used to download all public profiles at a school, since Facebook used predictable URLs for profile pages (Jones & Soltren, 2005). The authors also noted that Facebook gathered information about its users from other sources unless the user specifically opted out. As of September 2007, the opt-out choice was no longer available but the data collection policy was still in force (‘‘Facebook Principles,’’ 2007). Read More