| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
KIMURA Tadamasa Waseda University, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Associate Professor, 理工学部, 助教授 (00278045)
ISHII Kenichi University of Tsukuba, Institute of Policy and Planning Sciences, Lecturer, 社会工学系研究科, 講師 (90193250)
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| Research Abstract |
In order to analyze the effects of Internet use, especially with respect to the "Internet Paradox" hypothesis proposed by R.Kraut et al. (1998), we carried out a panel survey during November-December 2003. 1246 panel respondents, who had answered the 2001 survey, were asked to reply to this second questionnaire survey.
1)General Outline of Internet Use
61% of the sample accessed the Internet via personal computer and/or mobile phone, which is approximately 9% higher than the rate in 2001. A remarkable change is the rise in the number of Internet users via mobile phone and the decline in the number of Internet users via computer. According to the time budget survey, the amount of time consumed on the Internet via computeris 21.5 minutes/day, occupying about 60% of the total amount of time spent on the Internet, while the amount of time consumed on the Internet via mobile phones is 15.0 minutes/day. A logistic regression analysis shows that males, young people, full-time workers, educated people, and rich people use the Internet via computers more than the average respondent, while young people, full-time workers, and educated people use the Internet via mobile phone more than the average respondent. At home, computers are most often used in the living/dining room, and computers located in living/dining rooms are most likely to be connected to the Internet.
2)Validity of the "Internet Paradox"
No significant influence by Internet use on the incidence of loneliness or depression was discerned. As regards communication within families, it was found that the amount of time spent communicating with family members decreased among persons who started to use the Internet newly, and that "family-unity" decreases temporarily. In relation to social networks, it was shown clearly that Internet use expands networks of distant friends. Although same analysis was made on cellular messaging services, no significant influences were found.
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