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This
current study examines the impact of the new technologies
of information, communication, and computerization on
American families. It is both an extension of the earlier
study, Project NOAH I, that examined the impact of computers
in American homes in the mid-eighties, and an investigation
into new areas that have resulted from the emergence of
new technologies in the mid-nineties. It examines the
social processes and factors accounting for the greater
integration, or "domestication" of the PC and related
information technologies into the American household.
The
main questions to investigate are:
- To
develop and test a theoretical model that gives the
best understanding of the household adoption and use
of new information/ interactive/ multimedia technologies
and their diffusion into the various aspects of the
home life.
- To
assess the extent to which these new technologies have
become available to American homes, the nature of use,
and the type of adopters and users.
- To
study the impact of these technologies on family life.
- To
address the question as to what significant changes
have occurred in the last ten years in terms of the
uses and impact of information technologies. What differences
has this made to the daily lives of the people, that
is, what aspects of their lives have been improved or
been affected, which ones have not improved or remained
unaffected?
- To
the extent of these new technologies hold a promise
for social change, what perceptions do people have about
such possibilities, and what directions are being set
for these new technologies in term of their promised
potential?
Research
Design
The
study included a national sample of 900 American households
with computers and 300 without. Actual data collection
was in two phases. The first phase was a telephone interview
of computer and non-computer owning households. The interviews
were conducted through random digital dialing. The second
phase involves collection of time diary data. Upon the
completion of the telephone interviews, households with
computers were recruited to participate in a time-diary
study of computer usage. To facilitate the collection
of diary data, we developed the AppTrack
software that automatically collects computer usage information.
The data collection was completed in the summer of 1999.
To see the Project
NOAH II Report, click here.
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