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Project
Description | Research | NOAH
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Project NOAH II Synopsis
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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:
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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.
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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.
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To study the impact of these technologies on
family life.
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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?
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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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