Aspects Of Internet Use Research Articles

Aspects of Internet Use among Adolescents in Saudi Arabia

Background: In Saudi Arabia, there is a growing concern about Internet use among adolescents, who make up a significant portion (≈ 15%) of the population. Method: We administered a survey to students (Grades 7-12, n =2321) in randomly selected middle and high schools in three cities of Saudi Arabia in the spring of 2020 prior to COVID-19. We inquired about their demographics, lifestyle factors, devices, motivation for Internet use, and their family members’ use. Results: The mean (± SD) age of starting to use the Internet was 10.45 ± 3.02. Smartphones were the most used device (86.0%), followed by computers (6.3%), tablets (5.2%), game consoles (4.5%), and smart TVs (1.9%). The primary motivations for Internet use were social media (64.9%), watching videos (19.6%), gaming (6.2%), and other (studying, communication, etc.) (9.3%). Participants mostly described their parents’ Internet use as moderate and their siblings’ use as heavy. About a third (32.2%) of participants' parents did not supervise or place restrictions on their children's Internet use, a quarter (27.8%) of the parents only supervised their Internet use, a quarter (23.3%) placed restrictions only, and 16.7% engaged in both supervision and restriction. Conclusion: Adolescents report that their own Internet use via smartphones is high, and a high proportion of family members are heavy Internet users.

Internet addiction among MBBS students at a New Delhi medical college: Prevalence and determinants of a silent pandemic.

The 21st century has witnessed a surge in global internet usage, particularly in developing nations like India. Internet addiction, also known as pathological internet use (PIU) or internet addiction (IA), has emerged as a mental health concern, especially among university students. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of IA among MBBS students in a medical college in Delhi, India, and explore the association of IA with sociodemographic and internet usage patterns. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 300 undergraduate medical students. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire, which included the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) developed by Dr. Kimberley Young. The IAT measures various aspects of internet use, and scores are categorized as normal user, mild addiction, moderate addiction, and severe addiction. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used for data analysis. The mean age of onset of internet use was 14.4 ± 1.6 years. Smartphones were the most common devices used for internet access (96.3%), and the mean daily internet usage was 2.9 h ± 0.9 (standard deviation [SD]). The study found that 70.7% of students maintained a permanent login status. The majority of subjects used the Internet for coursework (89.7%) and information searches (88.7%). The prevalence of IA was significant, with 90% of participants being addicted to varying degrees. The grading of IA revealed 10% with no addiction, 54.6% with mild addiction, 32% with moderate addiction, and 3.3% with severe addiction. IA is a prevalent public health concern among medical students in Delhi, with a majority of participants being addicted to some extent. Females showed a higher proportion of addiction compared to males. Certain internet activities, such as social networking and watching online videos, were significantly associated with IA. The study highlights the need for recognizing IA as a public health concern and further research to understand its impact on the youth. Longitudinal studies are recommended to observe the development and progression of IA over time.

Agro Digitalization Capability Of The Umkm Sector In Bitung City In The Era Of Digital Agro Economy

The digitalization capability of the UMKM sector in Bitung City in the era economy of digital is carried out to conduct an assessment of the UMKM sector in terms of digitalization capability elements for its business as well as review and analyze the digitalization capability of the UMKM sector in the era economy of digital. This research uses a survey method by distributing a list of questions to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) actors in Bitung City to obtain primary data while secondary data is taken from related agencies. Sampling was carried out using stratified random sampling with comparable allocation. The elements of digitalization capability that determine digitalization capability are (1) the ability to understand digital, (2) the importance of digital strategy, (3) handphone ownership, (4) computer ownership, (5) website ownership, (6) social media ownership, (7) an e-commerce system ownership, (8) aspects of internet use, (9) frequency of internet use, and (10) importance of internet use. Measuring elements of digitalization capability using a Likert scale. The data analysis used was an inductive analysis of the one-sample t-test using the SPSS program. The research results show that: (a) Eight elements of digitalization capability in micro business including elements (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (8), and (10) that can be applied significantly. Meanwhile, the 2 (two) elements of digitalization capability implemented by micro businesses are not significant, including elements (7) and (9). (b) Seven elements of digitalization capability in small business, including elements (3), (4), (5), (6), (8), (9), and (10) that can be applied significantly. Meanwhile, the 3 (three) elements of digitalization capability implemented by small businesses are not significant, including elements (1), (2), and (7). (c) Ten elements of digitalization capability in medium business, include elements (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), and (10) that can be applied significantly. The conclusions of this research are (a) The significant application of the ten elements of digital capability by UMKM actors in Bitung City can increase capabilities to the maximum, can provide profits maximum in existing businesses, and can increase competitiveness in business. (b) The insignificant application of the ten elements of digital capability by UMKM actors in Bitung City cannot increase digitalization capabilities to the maximum, cannot provide profits maximum in existing business, and cannot increase competitiveness in business. The inability of Micro and Small Businesses is due to low ability to understand digital, limited human resources competent in the digital field and limited capital. Suggestions to UMKM in Bitung City are to implement the ten elements of digital capability, while the government needs to carry out socialization and training about digital and provide capital assistance to business actors specifically for Micro and Small Businesses. Keyword: Digitalization Capabilities, Agroeconomy, the UMKM sector, Bitung City.

Internet addiction and associated factors among undergraduate students of Jimma University; Jimma, South West Ethiopia, institutional based cross-sectional study

BackgroundInternet addiction affects cognitive function, has a harmful impact on students’ academic performance, and increases their risk of experiencing psychological crises.ObjectivesExamining the prevalence of internet addiction and its contributing factors among regular undergraduate students at Jimma University in south-west Ethiopia.MethodsAn institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among study participants between August 1 and August 30, 2021. A total of 772 Participants were involved in the study using a multistage random sampling technique. Data was collected using pretested and structured questionnaires with self-administered techniques. The Young Internet Addiction Test (YIAT) was used to measure internet addiction. The data was entered into the computer using Epi Data version 4.6, and then it was exported to the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25 for analysis. The association between each independent variable and the outcome variable was examined using bivariate analysis. Variables with a p-value of less than 0.25 in bivariate analysis were included in the multivariate logistic regression model to determine how each independent variable affected the outcome variable.ResultThe prevalence of internet addiction among study participants was 53.6% (95% Confidence Interval (CI)) (49.99%, 57.15%). Findings from multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested a variety of related factors had significant associations with internet addiction. Being dissatisfied with a major study, having a cumulative grade point average of a promoted grade report, using the internet for entertainment, using the internet for Facebook, using the internet for telegram, depression, social anxiety, and poor social support.ConclusionThis study revealed a comparatively high frequency of internet addiction among study participants. Internet addiction has been linked to psychosocial, academic, and purpose-related aspects of internet use. As a result, incorporating stakeholders’ efforts to improve the identified variables would be a helpful start toward lowering this high incidence.

Positive Youth Development and Internet Use in a Sample of Spanish Adolescents.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of Internet in the adolescent population has increased. A growing research interest has been developed about the consequences of Internet use for adolescent development. Despite most studies have examined the impact of Internet use on some indicators of psychological maladjustment, few studies have addressed the detrimental impact on the positive indicators of mental health. Positive youth development (PYD) represents a positive view of adolescent transition to adulthood which focuses on building the strengths that make young people more resistant to negative outcomes and more capable to choose a positive life direction. This study aimed to analyze the relationships between different aspects of Internet use and overall PYD in a sample of Spanish adolescents. To reach this aim, a sample of 1,038 adolescents (50.1% boys, M age = 14.19, SD = 1.38), enrolled in 14 high schools in the city of Huelva (Spain), filled in some self-report measures of PYD and Internet use and experience, such as the frequency of Internet use on weekdays or weekends, the different uses of Internet (i.e., social networks, playing online, reading, surfing or looking for information, playing or downloading music, and searching, selling, or buying products), and the subjective experience using the Internet (i.e., acknowledgment of spending too much time playing or in the networks, and being in a bad mood if they do not play or use the networks). Results of a hierarchical regression analysis showed that the more hours using Internet on weekdays, the less PYD. Moreover, the experience of feeling bad when not using the networks and spending too much time with online playing was related to lower PYD. However, the use of Internet for reading or looking for information had a positive association with PYD. These results suggest some implications for practice, such as the need to promote an adaptive Internet use, by providing a safe online context that encourages the acquisition of positive social values and life skills.

IMPACT OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES ON STUDENTS AND TASK’ PERFORMANCE DURING COVID-19

In today’s world, social networking has emerged as a highly desirable product, but the use of these social networking sites affects the physical and mental health of people. Therefore, this study aims to find the impact of excessive use of social networking sites (ESNS) on students’ task performance (STP) by mediating the role of task distraction (TD). Further, this study explores the moderating role of locus of control (internal and external) on the ESNS-TD relationship. For this purpose, data has been collected from 226 students enrolled in public sector universities in metropolitan cities of Pakistan through the survey. The findings show that excessive use of social networking sites significantly decreases students’ performance. Task distraction partially mediates the ESNS-STP relationship. Further, the results show that only the external locus of control moderates the ESNS-TD relationship. By analyzing the consequences of excessive use of SNSs it raises teachers’ and scholars’ concerns about harmful aspects of Internet use. This study reports that limited use of social networking sites is beneficial for students’ performance.

Aspects of Internet use among older people: Sociological research

Information and communication technologies have become an integral factor in the daily lives of people over the last decade. Although their usage allows significant advantages, there are still a lot of people in the world who do not use such technologies. In industrialized countries, the reason for this is not in economic factors, but age seems to be a significant determinant of the digital divide. Recently, however, the number of older adults taking advantages of the Internet has been growing. Numerous authors state that a key aspect of successful aging is to remain actively involved in life in old age. In this regard, it is pointed out that online communication and new media present many new opportunities and challenges for the social inclusion of older people. The aim of this paper is to examine the attitudes and opinions of older people towards the use of the Internet and the reasons for its use. The research was conducted using the 2019 survey method on a sample of 240 people over the age of 65 residing in the Šibenik-Knin County in the Republic of Croatia. The results of the survey show that, although more than half of the respondents have an Internet connection, only a fifth own a computer or a laptop. One third of the respondents uses the Internet every day, and most of them did not attend a course to help them use it. They point out that they easily mastered the rules of the network, in which their family members gave them a support and help. Respondents most often search the Internet for the purpose of informing, especially about daily events, then for the entertainment, cultural education and communication with others. More than half of them have a profile on social networks, mostly on Facebook. Despite all this, they do not emphasize the great impact of the Internet on their lives, and believe that the Internet often takes up a lot of free time. Also, more than half of the surveyed population does not use the Internet because they are not interested in it, do not have the financial means to buy a computer. The reason is that they are suspicion of endangering their own security and privacy. However, those not using the Internet state that their accessing to information is not limited because of that. They also point out that the only motivation for starting using the Internet would be the necessity of communicating with their families.

Validation of the internet addiction test (IAT) to Sinhalese and assessment of internet addiction among school children in Sri Lanka

AimsTo translate Young's Internet Addiction Test (IAT) to Sinhalese and validate for use in a Sri Lankan population. Following validation of the questionnaire, to use the validated questionnaire to assess the prevalence of internet addiction in a school going population in the Western province of Sri Lanka and identify characteristics of those addicted to the internet.BackgroundThe internet is widely used across the world and in Sri Lanka. Though essential for everyday life there are many negative aspects of internet use. Addiction to the internet is one such problem and identified to exist among the general population and students in other countries. The most common tool used to measure internet addiction is Young's internet addiction test. The phenomena of internet addiction has not been scientifically studied in Sri Lanka according to our knowledge.MethodA school-based cross-sectional analytical study conducted in two stages among students aged 15 to 19 years. In stage 1 of the study, 200 students were administered the Sinhalese translation of the IAT and internal consistency and test retest validity assessed. Once validation of the scale was established the translated scale was used on a sample of 2800 students to assess presence of internet addiction.ResultThe Sinhala translation of the Internet addiction test showed good reliability and validity The Chrohnbach's alpha value was 0.78 and Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.85 and therefore suitable to use in a Sinhalese speaking population in Sri Lanka.Internet addiction was identified among the study population. 8% of the entire study sample and 12.6% among those using the internet showed features of internet addiction. The majority of cases of internet addiction identified were mild 8.2% followed by moderate internet addiction in 3.6% and only 0.9 % having severe internet addiction. There were no significant demographic or internet use related features identified among those with internet users and those not addicted to the internet.ConclusionThis study demonstrated that the Sinhala translation of Young's IAT is suitable to assess internet addiction in Sri Lanka. It also identified that there are students in Sri Lanka who are addicted to the internet. This will possibly impact negatively on their lives at a crucial stage of development and have immediate as well as long term detrimental effects. More studies are required to identify characteristics of those who are addicted to the internet and to plan interventions.

Student Experiences with Digital Citizenship: A Comparative Cultural Study

Abstract This comparative cultural study examines differences in digital citizenship between undergraduate information literacy students at two different, but similar, universities across the globe from each other. Under the notion that the internet and prevalence of mobile devices allow students to participate online as digital citizens in ways that were impossible before, we use mixed methods to compare the attitudes and experiences of undergraduate students at a university in the midwestern United States (U.S.), with a university on the southwestern coast of Ghana. We also examine the policies related to technology use at these schools. The findings indicate that Ghanaian students had higher levels of digital citizenship. Other findings suggest that network issues are a problem for students in both schools, especially for Ghana, and ethical aspects of internet use, like cyberbullying, hacking, and fake news, deter students from participating online as much as they would like.

Χρήση του διαδικτύου: Κοινωνικό άγχος και δυσλειτουργικές γνωσίες στην εφηβεία και την αναδυόμενη ενηλικίωση

The aim of this study was to explore the associations of Internet dysfunctional use with social anxiety, the need to belong, collective self-esteem and demographic factors in a sample of 974 adolescents and emerging adults, aged 12-19 years. The following questionnaires were used: The Generalized Pathological Internet Use Scale (Caplan, 2002), the Greek Problematic Internet Use Scale (Roussos & Delizisi, 2011), the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (La Greca & Lopez, 1998), the Need to Belong Scale (Leary et al., 2013), an adapted version of the Collective Self-Esteem Scale (Luhtanen & Crocken, 1992), and an additional set of demographic questions including quantitative and qualitative aspects of Internet use. Dysfunctional Internet use was found to correlate significantly with social anxiety. Maladaptive cognitions were associated with social avoidance. Also, mood alteration correlated with the fear of negative evaluation. The exploration of alternative structural equation models showed that the main predictors of dysfunctional Internet use were the fear of negative evaluation and social avoidance. The need to belong mediated the relationship between the two social anxiety dimensions and dysfunctional cognitions. Additionally, collective self-esteem mediated the relationship between the two social anxiety dimensions and mood alteration. The findings of the study highlight the need to further examine Internet use in relation to social psychological relational factors.

Information Technology Use and Cyberbullying Behavior in South Thailand: A Test of the Goldilocks Hypothesis.

There has been concern about the effects of high levels of internet use on the mental well-being of young people. This has generally been phrased in terms of a displacement hypothesis, that the extent of internet use and mental well-being are directly proportional. This linear model has been contrasted with a Goldilocks Hypothesis, proposed by Przybylski and Weinstein. This supposes that moderate levels of internet use may be the least harmful, conforming to a curvilinear relationship. Here these hypotheses were tested on a sample of 1140 adolescents (42% boys, 58% girls) aged 12–18 years, in 12 schools from Southern Thailand. We first report levels of internet use, and of cybervictimization, taken as one important aspect of mental well-being. We then assess the relationship of four factors of internet use (frequency, time spent, number of places accessed, number of activities) with (a) being a victim of cyberbullying, and (b) being a frequent victim; taking these as indicators of mental well-being. For (a) there was limited evidence of a Goldilocks effect on two out of four measures. For (b) the evidence did support a Goldilocks effect for all four measures, but these were under-powered analyses and the findings did not reach statistical significance. If substantiated on larger samples, a curvilinear relationship between aspects of internet use and cyberbullying would suggest a ‘safe zone’ for adolescent internet use, bringing its benefits while minimizing risks of cyberbullying. In the future, similar research should use larger sample sizes or longitudinal measures when exploring nonlinear trends and include other aspects of mental well-being.

Exploring the Relationship Between Internet Use and Mental Health Among Older Adults in England: Longitudinal Observational Study.

BackgroundThere is uncertainty about the impact of internet use on mental health in older adults. Moreover, there is very little known specifically about the impact of particular purposes of internet use.ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the longitudinal relationship between two distinct concepts of mental health with the frequency of internet use among older adults: the moderating role of socioeconomic position (SEP) and the association between specific purposes of internet use.MethodsLongitudinal fixed and random effects (27,507 person-years) models were fitted using waves 6-8 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing to examine the relationship between different aspects of internet use (frequency and purpose) and two mental health outcomes (depression and life satisfaction). The potential moderating effect of SEP on these associations was tested using interaction terms.ResultsInfrequent internet use (monthly or less vs daily) was predictive of deteriorating life satisfaction (β=−0.512; P=.02) but not depression. Education and occupational class had a moderating effect on the association between frequency of internet use and mental health. The associations were stronger in the highest educational group in both depression (P=.09) and life satisfaction (P=.02), and in the highest occupational group in life satisfaction (P=.05) only. Using the internet for communication was associated with lower depression (β=−0.24; P=.002) and better life satisfaction (β=.97; P<.001), whereas those using the internet for information access had worse life satisfaction (β=−0.86; P<.001) compared with those who did not.ConclusionsPolicies to improve mental health in older adults should encourage internet use, especially as a tool to aid communication.

Internet use and self-rated health among Swedish 70-year-olds: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe Internet is increasingly becoming an infrastructure for a number of services, both commercial, public (including health related) and personal. Using the internet have the potential to promote social interaction and social connectedness by upholding social networks and social contacts. However, Internet use is lower in older adults compared to other age groups. This digital divide is considered a risk to the health of older adults since it limits their participation in society, access and use of relevant health related information and services. This study focuses on whether there is an association between Internet use and self-rated health.MethodA cross-sectional population-based sample of 70-year-olds from The Gothenburg H70 Birth Cohort Study (n = 1136) was examined in 2014–16. All data was collected using structured interviews and questionnaires. Differences in proportions were tested with chi-square test and ordinary least square regression analysis was used to estimate the relationship between Internet use and self-rated health controlling for health factors, hearing and visual impairment, and social contacts.ResultsThere is a relationship between more frequent Internet use and good self-rated health (unstandardized β 0.101 p < 0.001), and the effect remained after adjusting for all covariates (unstandardized β 0.082 p < 0.001). Our results also show that, in comparison to health factors, Internet use is of minor importance to the SRH of older adults, since adding these improved the explanatory power of the model by approximately 400% (from 0.04 to 0.18).ConclusionAlthough the direction of the relationship between more frequent interne use and better self-rated health is undetermined in the present study, it can be suggested that using the Internet informs and educates older adults, strengthening their position as active and engaged participants of society. It can also be suggested that those using the Internet report less loneliness and a possibility to establish new computer-mediated relationships within online communities. Further research needs to examine what aspects of Internet use, and in what contexts such positive perceptions arise.

Digital participation? Internet use among adolescents with and without intellectual disabilities: A comparative study

Internet use is an integrated part of everyday life, especially among young people. However, knowledge of this for young people with disabilities is scarce. This study investigates digital participation of adolescents with intellectual disabilities by comparing aspects of Internet use among adolescents with and without intellectual disabilities. Cross-sectional comparative design was used and a national survey from the Swedish Media Council was cognitively adapted for adolescents with intellectual disabilities aged 13–20 years. The results reveal that a significantly lower proportion of the 114 participating adolescents with intellectual disabilities had access to Internet-enabled devices and performed Internet activities, except for playing games, than the reference group ( n = 1161). The greatest difference was found in searching for information. Analyses indicate that adolescents with intellectual disabilities are following a similar pattern of Internet use as the reference group, but a digital lag is prevalent, and a more cognitively accessible web could be beneficial.

Use of Internet/Web Resources by the Faculty Members and Students of Engineering College Libraries in Sri Venkateswara University Area

The aim of this study is to analyse the use of the Internet and related issues among the faculty members and the students of engineering college libraries in Sri Venkateswara University Area. A well-structured questionnaire was distributed among the 1314 faculty members and the students under study. This study demonstrates and elaborates the various aspects of Internet use, such as availability of Internet facility, most frequently used place of Internet used, frequency of Internet use, experience in using Internet, type of Internet browsers used, preferred search engines, use of Internet services, satisfaction with Internet facility and problems faced by the users. It was found that the Internet has become a vital instrument for teaching, research and learning process for these respondents. Some suggestions are set forth to make the services more beneficial for the academic community of the engineering colleges under study.

Manchester’s Cyberstalked 18-30s: Factors affecting cyberstalking.

Purpose For many people modern life is experienced through an ‘online’ platform. The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency of cyberstalking among Manchester’s cosmopolitan 18-30s along with the relationships between online activities, demographic variables and occurrences of cyberstalking. Methodology We adopted a face-to-face request for completion of a revised Bocij [2003] questionnaire with a 96% response rate. One hundred volunteer Internet users aged 18-30 (65 students, 35 non-students) completed a survey on their suspected cyberstalking experiences. Findings The expected prevalence rate of 10-20% was exceeded with an actual rate of 20-34% of participants having reported cyberstalking experiences. Contrary to offline stalking victimisation, males were just as likely to be cyberstalked as females. There were, however, gender differences in the way that victims responded. Almost half of the sample reported inappropriate or obscene messages. All forms of messaging were frequently reported, as well as damage to data or equipment. Some aspects of Internet use were associated with victimisation but young people were at possible risk regardless of demographic variables. Limitation: The size of the sample, the unexpected female to male ratio and the higher than expected ethnic minority. Originality/Value A high level of cyberstalking was identified in the 18-30 group. Many victims failed to recognise their experiences as a case of cyberstalking and as such there is a need for the authorities to increase awareness, provide support and identify likely perpetrators based upon the first specific cyberstalking study on 18-30 year olds in the UK. 248 words

Aspekte des Interneteinsatzes im DaF- Unterricht

Aspects of Internet use in Deutsch lessons&#x0D; The Internet is the largest data network in the world. If you have Internet access, you can access with a single computer click in any corner of the world. The Internet affects different aspects of life for example: companies advertise their products, students have access to literature in distant libraries and also for teaching foreign languages which will give many possibilities of use, the use of e -mail and the World Wide Web is very interesting at different levels. The use of internet and the media lead to the promotion of self-criticism, auto-correction and self-discipline. Furthermore, when dealing with Internet, an emotional- affective dimension plays a major role, since self-determined and individual learning can be realized through e-activities, which are emotionally significant to a large extent by identification with the learning process. When using the new media in Deutsch lessons, computers are used in an integrated sense as a device for communication processes. In the area of teaching and learning, the new media (computer and internet) are used and perceived as a support for learning through t technology.

Medical undergraduates and pathological internet use: Interplay of stressful life events and resilience

Background: Being in the age of technological advancement, the human mind is under constant risk of being engulfed by social media leading to pathological internet use. Cyberworld serves as a buffer under stress by means of satisfying various needs of an individual in the form of entertainment, access to information, gaining recognition and maintaining relationships. Conversely, the morbid preoccupation of the internet was found to be averted by positive coping resilience and sense of self-efficacy under stressful condition. Objectives: To observe the pattern of internet use in medical students and to explore any possible relationship of internet use with stressful life event and resilience level. Materials and Methods: The study sample was drawn from medical undergraduates using semistructured questionnaire consisting of demographic profile, details of various aspects of internet use, internet addiction test questionnaire (IAT), resilience scale and student stress scale (SSS). Results: Almost all of the participants (n = 98) used the internet and social media. Mean age of the sample was 20.41 (±1.64) years, 64.3% were male and 35.7% female. On IAT, 80.6% students were moderate users, and 19.4% were problem users. IAT negatively correlated with resilience (r = −0.272, P = 0.007), whereas positively correlated with SSS total score (r = 0.330, P = 0.001) and total number of stressful life events (r = 0.335, P = 0.001). 30.6% of the students stated that a major life event had influenced their internet usage. In the linear regression model, life event appeared as a significant predictor of IAT score. Conclusion: Medical students acknowledge the role of the internet in surviving the enormous stress level brought on by various life events. At the same time, stressful life events could predict IA.

Aphasia in an Internet age: wider perspectives on digital inclusion

Background: Aphasia is likely to impact adversely on the ability to use the Internet successfully, as linguistic skills are important for many aspects of Internet use. Despite this, there exists limited evidence on how best to support people with aphasia to benefit from the Internet. Whilst linguistic impairments in aphasia will have an impact on Internet use, there are other important factors such as other cognitive or physical impairments. There are also differences in digital skills between social groups in the UK, creating inequalities. People with aphasia and those who support them are likely to have varying levels of Internet use. These aspects are relevant in improving our understanding of factors relevant to supporting people with aphasia to use the Internet.Aims: The main aim is to discuss the key areas related to supporting people with aphasia to achieve equality of access to and use of the Internet. This paper focuses on three questions related to Internet use: (1) What do we know about access and use of the Internet by populations who share characteristics with people with aphasia and may experience similar disabilities?, (2) Based on that knowledge, what types of difficulties with Internet use might be predicted for people with aphasia? and (3) How has Internet use or support with Internet skills been studied in relation to people with aphasia. If not directly studied, what does relevant related work tell us?Main Contribution: This paper discusses factors that might act as barriers or facilitators to Internet use by people with aphasia, viewed from within the conceptual frameworks of the International Classification of Disability and Functioning and the Communications Consumer Panel Framework on Digital Participation. It considers the relevant literature on digital exclusion in the wider population and on aphasia and technology, in order to present a wide perspective on the range of issues involved in mitigating digital exclusion.Conclusions: The interrelationships between the complex demands imposed by aphasia and factors thought to contribute to digital exclusion are complex and multifactorial. The literature directly relating to aphasia and technology and from wider evidence on digital exclusion all contribute to understanding of key barriers and facilitators to Internet use. Consideration of these wider factors and of the contributions from a range of disciplines, historically not involved in aphasia rehabilitation, is helpful in understanding the needs of people with aphasia in a digital age and to develop future interventions.

Use of The Internet for Trip Planning: A Generational Analysis

ABSTRACTWith recent developments in social media and mobile computing, little is known regarding how different travel segments within the general traveler population actually use the Internet for travel planning. In particular, this study examined various aspects of Internet use among four generational groups including the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y over a six-year period. Findings show a high adoption rate of the Internet among all generations but there are important differences related to information search, trip planning activities, and websites used for online booking. This study provides a timely analysis of information technology use for travel planning and offers meaningful insights for the development of communication strategies for destinations and tourism businesses.