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HomeNet

Aired October 25 and 26, 1997

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This is Internet On The Air. I'm Todd Mundt. Who is the typical Internet user? And given the chance...would everyone use the Internet? Details in a moment.

Funding Credit: Internet On The Air is a production of the University of Michigan School of Information and Michigan radio, made possible by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

"Homenet" is an ongoing study at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. It tries to answer questions about typical Internet use, and more. Researchers selected families in 1995 from four neighborhoods near the University. Families from different socio-economic backgrounds were given a Macintosh computer, software for the Internet, and e-mail. They also rece ived three hours of computer training, additional assistance if they needed it, and unlimited free Internet access. Parents and children were all set up to surf the Web in the comfort of their home.

What has the study found? It may not come as a surprise to learn that most families in the study say that the Internet is "too hard". The level of computer skills participants had before the study influenced how much they used the Internet. In another important finding, increased access to the Internet did not guarantee increased use. More sophisticated computer users tend to become enthusiastic Internet users. But less sophisticated computer users...even with training and support...are not catching the Internet bug. The study also reports that most users rely on the Internet primarily for entertainment and recreation. Fewer than three percent say they use the Internet to buy something or to make money.

The Homenet study raises significant questions: Will the Internet become a fact of everyday life like the telephone or the TV? Or will it remain a luxury for the computer savvy?

You can find out more about Homenet and see how you compare with the profile of a "typical" Internet user, on our Web site at www.iota.org. For Internet On The Air, I'm Todd Mundt.

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Related Links

For further information, try these Web sites:

• HomeNet Site
  
  
• HomeNet Research Reports
  
  
• Communication and Information: Alternative Uses of the Internet in Households
  
  
• HomeNet Overview: Recent Results from a Field Trial of Residential Use
  
  
• Internet Paradox: A Social Technology That Reduces Social Involvement and Psychological Well-Being?; published in American Psychologist

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Last Updated January 26, 2000