Das Internet ist in aller Munde. Als neues Medium bietet es vielfältige Möglichkeiten der Kommunikation und der Informationsbeschaffung. Doch wird wirklich das geboten, was die Nutzer wollen? Wollen private Internet-Nutzer nur Unterhaltung, aber nichts kaufen? Wozu nutzen Geschäftsleute das Internet? Wie weit ist die Kundenorientierung von Internet-Dienstleistungen fortgeschritten? Wie soll die ideale Homepage gestaltet sein? Im Mittelpunkt dieses Projekts stehen damit - im Gegensatz zu vorliegenden Untersuchungen - die Anwendungswünsche privater und geschäftlicher Nutzer.

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This exploratory study examined how pre-service teachers use the Internet while preparing lesson plans. Participants (N=30) prepared a literacy-focused lesson using the Internet as their only resource. Data were collected through screen capture technology, tracking where participants went and how they used the Internet, and afterwards, participants’ reflections were obtained through structured interviews. Most participants first visited the Google search engine to find information, or the Ontario curriculum document to check the grade level expectations. Participants conducted three or more Google searches on average, and government, commercial, teacher hosted, and organization sites were the most often visited. These sites were used to find more information on the selected lesson plan, generate ideas by seeing what lessons are available online, look for materials for the lesson, check curriculum expectations and/or, in a few instances, copy a lesson plan directly from a website. Many participants reported regularly preparing lessons in the observed manner.

This exploratory study examined how pre-service teachers use the Internet while preparing lesson plans. Participants (N=30) prepared a literacy-focused lesson using the Internet as their only resource. Data were collected through screen capture technology, tracking where participants went and how they used the Internet, and afterwards, participants’ reflections were obtained through structured interviews. Most participants first visited the Google search engine to find information, or the Ontario curriculum document to check the grade level expectations. Participants conducted three or more Google searches on average, and government, commercial, teacher hosted, and organization sites were the most often visited. These sites were used to find more information on the selected lesson plan, generate ideas by seeing what lessons are available online, look for materials for the lesson, check curriculum expectations and/or, in a few instances, copy a lesson plan directly from a website. Many participants reported regularly preparing lessons in the observed manner.

Faculty of Criminology, Justice and Policy Studies

Den ökade tillgången till datorer samt den ökade enkelheten att använda datorer och internet har ökat mängden personer över 65 år som använder sociala nätverk. Tidigare forskning visar bland annat att personer över 65 känner sig i större utsträckning mer ensamma och isolerade. Annan tidigare forskning menar att internetanvändarna som är över 55 år ökar avsevärt och att detta beror på den ökade tillgängligheten samt kunskaperna rörande datorer och internet. I studien genomfördes 15 kvalitativa intervjuer, med respondenter som rekryterades genom en kombination av ett kriteriebaserat urval samt snöbollsurval. Resultatet visade att Facebook bland annat har bidragit till ett ökat kontaktnät samt ett förbättrat informationsflöde när det gäller familj och vänner. Dessa ökningar bidrar till en större gemenskap och förmildrar de eventuella ensamhetskänslor som kan uppstå.

This study combined quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate the relationship between Internet use and identity, particularly age-identity, in older Internet users. It has a theoretical basis in symbolic interactionism – particularly the theories of Erving Goffman – and conceptualizes identities as roles that are negotiated during social interaction. The focus on older users was motivated by the strong focus of prior Internet research on younger users. Few studies have examined older users specifically, and fewer still have examined age-identity. Thus, the focus in this study is on how changes in social interaction that occur due to Internet use affect the identity negotiation process. The research is focused around two key areas: whether older users experience the same kinds of online identity processes as younger users, and the impact exposure to novel audiences has on identity negotiation. The study consists of two phases. In the first, a quantitative survey was administered in which a measure of age-identity was assessed and compared with measures of audience novelty. Results showed that a significant increase in variance of ageidentity is associated with communication with people from other countries. This finding supports the theory that identity is formed in negotiation with the audience with whom one communicates, and that expanding this audience may lead to identity effects. To investigate this issue more deeply, a qualitative phase was conducted in which participants were interviewed using rapid ethnography techniques, and at the conclusion of which a model of the interaction between age-identity and Internet communication was developed. This model was then verified with follow-up interviews with key informants and with field observations from sites of online social interaction among seniors. The model developed during the qualitative stage identifies three ways in which ageidentity is influenced by social interaction on the Internet. First, the Internet is used in response to emotional or practical consequences of ageing. Second, older Internet users could take advantage of the ability to manage their personal front online to achieve agelessness, and third, the Internet is used as a backstage area to discuss ageidentity issues. The context of these claims is all-important; each individual’s unique circumstances, emotions and motivations influence the way in which they will use the Internet and respond to others encountered through it. The extension of Goffman’s dramaturgical metaphor to age- identity on the Internet and to include the concept of character development, in which identity evolves over time in response to inner tensions and external events, is a tentative but powerful finding. It poses a challenge for future research into the nature of identity change, both online and offline.

Purpose – Today, there is an increase in the use of Internet and a decline in political participation. A discussion on wheatear or not the concept of political participation should be broadened to also include political activates online has begun. The purpose of this study is to investigate the view of political participation among youth.Methodology – This study is quantitative in nature, since it builds on two previous quantitative studies. One is a national study about Swedes and the Internet, and the other on a regional level concerning youth in Skåne. Data from the two studies are used to confirm or disregard four hypotheses which are deducted from the presented theoretical framework concerning political participation.Key Findings – This study finds support that youth are more political participant on the Internet than the older generation, but also show that a traditional political participation is valued higher. Youth have more faith in their opportunity to affect political decisions on different decision-levels. A difference in preferred sources for information has also been detected, and youth value Internet higher as a source for information whereas the older generation prefer traditional media. / <p>2015-06-03</p>

High health anxiety has negative repercussions at the individual, interpersonal, and societal levels. According to cognitive behavioural theory, health anxiety is maintained, in part, by behavioural factors, termed safety behaviours. Health-related Internet use (HRIU) may be an important safety behaviour for some health anxious individuals. The Internet offers an abundance of health information, and opportunities to engage in health-related behaviours. Paper 1 aims to establish what is known about the relationship between health anxiety and HRIU. A systematic search was undertaken to identify studies that fell into five broad categories. The identified studies (N = 30) were then narratively reviewed, with an emphasis on methodological quality, and consideration also given to clinical implications and directions for future research. The review indicated that research to date has focused almost entirely on the relationship between health anxiety and using the Internet to obtain health information, termed online health research (OHR). Health anxiety appears associated with amount of, and emotional response to, OHR. The majority of existing studies are cross-sectional. Many use unvalidated measures of HRIU, and/or convenience samples recruited from universities or via commercial services. The Cyberchondria Severity Scale has potential clinical utility as a measure of a specific health anxiety maintenance cycle. However, there is a need for a more general instrument that can be used to assess various dimensions of HRIU in a validated manner. Paper 2 is a cross-sectional, correlational study of relationships between HRIU, health anxiety, and health service utilisation in a clinical, help-seeking sample. Participants were recruited from primary care practices, and completed questionnaire measures. Extent and nature of HRIU, and emotional and behavioural responses to HRIU, were measured using the Online Health Beliefs and Behaviour Inventory (OHBBI). The OHBBI is a recently developed measure that has undergone preliminary psychometric validation. OHBBI subscales explained 30% of variance in health anxiety, but did not improve prediction of self-reported service utilisation. A moderated regression indicated that the relationship between the Illness-Focused Searching subscale and health service utilisation varied as a function of health anxiety, with a negative relationship at low levels of health anxiety, and a positive relationship at high levels. This study provides further evidence of a role for HRIU in the maintenance of health anxiety, and advances the literature by using a validated measure of HRIU, a clinical sample, and well-controlled models. Paper 3 is a critical, reflective appraisal of the thesis as a whole. Methodological decisions, and their ramifications, are discussed in detail. The importance of the thesis is summarised, and implications for clinical practice and future research are revisited. The OHBBI requires further psychometric refinement. Longitudinal studies, and studies that use objective measures of service utilisation, are needed. Safety behaviours, including various forms of HRIU, may interact with each other to perpetuate health anxiety; such complex maintenance cycles merit empirical investigation.

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