Lifespan Communication in CMC

By Darryl Stott, Daniel Mawdsley, Daniel Ratzinger and

Ritesh Panchal.

A Definition

• The way in which communicative processes develop, are maintained, and change throughout the lifespan

• Presentation focuses on Computer Mediated Communication (CMC)

Content

• CMC usage patterns across 4 groups:

– Young Children– Teenagers– Adults– Elderly

Children and Computers

• Computers quickly becoming integral part of children’s lives

• Surrounded by technology from birth

• Raised to understand computers along side language and other skills

Computers and the Media

• Children immersed in interactive computing linked with children’s media

• Online stories, music and games

• Favourite television shows such as

CBBC, Bob the Builder, Lazytown etc

Child Development

• Computer use may aid cognitive development of logic, critical thinking and motor skills

• May divert development from other areas?

• Do children become smarter by using computers?

Social Interaction

• Increased computer use may reduce time spent interacting with other children

• Different social etiquette and unwritten behaviours apply online

• Do children become less socially aware because of computer use?

Demands of Society

• Expectation of computer literacy

• BBC cite the rise of the ‘cyber-children’

• Demands of the current business climate

• Do children need to be computer-literate within modern society?

Peer Pressure

• Does peer pressure influence need to learn computing?

• Children may feel left behind by their friends

• Desire to keep up with friends may drive development

Exploiting the Market

• Software developed and marketed based on these child-computing myths

• Social networking sites require additional measures to prevent bullying and other problems

• Parental control through use of activity monitoring software

Big Brother

• Common for parents to monitor their children’s online activity

• Children may become aware of a lack of trust from parents

• Does parental monitoring result in a child’s trust in society / others being reduced?

Community Safety

• Children making increased use of online community sites such as School Together Now

• Importance of safety and personal security

• Moderated sites exist to prohibit inappropriate content

Global Communication

• Expansion of communication infrastructure on a global scale

• Children communicating across cultural and geographical boundaries

• Does this improve a child’s development?

Global Inequality

• Not all children have access to CMC

• Parts of the world are far behind in terms of technological development

• Are those without access suffering a reduction in development as a result?

Gender Divide

• Is a gender divide present in the adoption of CMC?

• Stereotypes suggest males are more technologically inclined

• American Sociological Association claim this divide does not exist in children

• Does one gender really adopt technology more quickly?

Creating a Monster

• Can computer literacy be a bad thing?

• Increased knowledge may inevitably lead to increased computer misuse

• Parents having to warn children about the consequences of hacking

• Drives development of better security software

Teenagers

Ritesh Panchal

Lifespan Communication

•Different groups of people using the internet for different kinds of things. It will vary from person to person.

•Younger people will use the internet differently to older people

•50% of teens have their own webspace to post pictures/create blogs etc..

•Almost every teen now has access to the Internet, either at home, school or mobile phone

The most popular type of communication over the internet for teenagers is instant messaging (msn/facebook chat etc...)

•They use the internet to socialise, rather than actually meeting up

•Has become a part of their everyday life/routine

•Use the Internet to download music/movies

•Online gaming

Lifespan Communication in CMC

AdultsDaniel Ratzinger

Adults - Definition

• Define the group of adults– Biological– Psychological– Law– Personal character– Social status

• Definitions can be inconsistent to each other

Adults - Definition

• Group between young adults and elderly(Figure: Population of the UK by gender and age, mid-2007)

Adults - Definition

• Group between young adults and elderly(Figure: Population of the UK by gender and age, mid-2007)

Adults - Definition

• Group between young adults and elderly(Figure: Population of the UK by gender and age, mid-2007)

Adults - Definition

• Group between young adults and elderly(Figure: Population of the UK by gender and age, mid-2007)

Adults - Definition

• Very large group

• High latitude between definitions

• Lots of different life stages within this group

Adults – Use of CMC

• CMC experience can vary with– Age– Life stage– Social status

• Use CMC in the same way like young adults and elderly

Adults - Overview

• We know how they use CMC now

• But about how many people use it?

Adults – Internet Use

Figure: World Internet Project (International Report 2009)

Adults - Social Networking

• Facebook• Adults are the fastest

growing age group• 35-54 year old users

– Growing fastest– Double every six

month

• Demographics are changing quickly

Adults - Social Networking

• LinkedIn

• Average Age 41

• 53% Household Income 100K+

• 49% Business Decision Maker

• 95% are college educated

The Elderly

Daniel Mawdsley

The Elderly Online

• Common Misconceptions about elderly using computers

• The Digital Divide

• Why elderly should use computers

• Reasons why elderly use computers

• How Elderly use computers

• Issues that arise when an elderly person uses a computer / Internet

Common Misconceptions

• The elderly are computer illiterate

• There are no websites to cater for elderly users

• Elderly have no access to computers and the internet

The Digital Divide

• Takes away face-to-face relationships• Takes away telephone usage• Draw’s everyone into a virtual reality• Limited Access to PC’s - The decision to use a

library as the setting for the training was made based on the fact that this is where most of the elderly would access the Internet Campbell et al (2003)

• No source of substantial income – no luxury services such as an internet service.

The Digital Divide – Continued

• The Majority of people over the age of fifty-five in the United Kingdom have never used the internet.

• 2/3 of elderly have no intention of ever using the internet Fielding (2002)

• BBC (2006) states that there is an alarming gap in technological knowledge between generations

• In a European context the equivalent discussion has been in terms of ‘social exclusion’, although the older concepts of ‘disadvantage’ or ‘deprivation’ are also relevant Haddon (2004)

Why Should Elderly Use Computers?

• To enhance relationships with family, friends and meet new people.

• Use computers as a knowledge resource

• Retrieve the news as you require it from online news websites such as the BBC

• Pursue hobbies online

How Elderly Use Computers

• To stay in touch with family and friends

• To research information that they require

• To research their family history and build a family tree from that acquired research

• Read news articles instead of watching TV or listening to the radio

• Interact with social online elderly communities

How Elderly Use Computers - Continued

• Interact with social online elderly communitiesThere are many websites that currently cater for the elderly community such as the following:-

iGrandparents – General Information resource for grandparents

Seniors Site – Blog based for elderly based discussions

ElderCare Online – Discusses topics about health care of elderly

Web Wise Seniors – helping elderly learn

Seniors Network - General Information resource for elderly

Saga – Insurance / Travel / Money / Health information

Age Concern

• Age Concern taking its own approach to promoting the web for the elderly

Age Concern (2007) with help from Microsoft and Cable And Wireless

Attempting to bring the net to the over 65s, via events such as the silver surfer festival www.ageconcern.org.uk/silversurfer

This approach allows for the over 65s to feel less threatened with the internet as they are surfing with real world peers.

Success Stories

SagaAccording to The Guardian (2004)

• Forrester's Consumer Technographics Survey shows that 58% of UK seniors have researched holidays online (compared with 51% of all online Europeans). Other popular activities include online banking and sharing digital photos via email.

• The Survey also indicates there are now 20.7m net users in Europe over 55, with 25% of European seniors now online.

Age ConcernAccording to The Guardian (2004)

• Age Concern’s research shows that more than 35% of British over-50s used the net in the past year, and of that group, 41% log on every day.

Issues That Arise When Elderly Use Computers

• Introduction to computers

Self experience – Learned through trial and error, thus learning from the mistakes that I made.

Inevitably lead to…

Issues That Arise When Elderly Use Computers - Continued

• Limited knowledge of computer’s

• Errors

• Similarities in performance between elderly and their young children counterparts Ogozalek et al (1986)

Issues That Arise When Elderly Use Computers – Continued

• Physical Limitations of the elderly userBrewer (2005) shows a list of how physical disabilities that are common can be overcome by using the following:-

Colour Blindness – user can control style sheets of websitesRepetitive strain injury – keyboard equivalents for mouse-driven commands can be incorporatedDeaf – captioned audio proportions of multimedia filesBlindness – appropriate use of tables, alternative text, abbreviations and acronyms; synchronisation of visual, speech and Braille displayDyslexia – use of supplemental graphics; freezing animated graphics multiple search options availableAgeing related conditions such as eyesight – magnification tools; stop scrolling text, avoid popup windowsCognitive disability – clear and simple language; consistent design consistent navigation options

Class Discussion Topics

• Can you understand why some elderly users resent the use of a computer?

• How would you encourage elderly to use computers?

• Can you see yourself as an elderly user using the internet?

Lifespan Communication in CMC

DiscussionDaniel Ratzinger

Information Sources (Children)

• E-Schools• Microsoft• BBC• Virgin Media• The Evening Standard• Oregon Public Broadcasting• American Sociological Association• FindLaw

References (Elderly)• Age Concern (2007), Silver Surfer Week (Online) Available at:

http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/silversurfer/ (Accessed on 04/02/09)• BBC (2006), Parents Warned Over Computer (Online) Available at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/5186612.stm (Accessed on 04/02/09)• Brewer (2005), How People with disabilities use the web (Online) Available at:

http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/ (Accessed on 04/02/09)• Campbell, R & Wabby, J (2003) The Elderly and the Internet: A Case Study. The Internet

Journal of Health, (Online). 3 (1), Available at: http://www.ispub.com/ostia/index.php?xmlFilePath=journals/ijh/vol3n1/elderly.xml (Accessed on 04/02/09)

• Fielding (2002), Silver surfers in the minority (Online) Available at: http://www.vnunet.com/News/1134440 (Accessed on 04/02/09)

• Guardian, The (2004), Moves to get elderly online (Online) Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2004/nov/18/onlinesupplement3 (Accessed on 04/02/09)

• Haddon, L(2004), Information and Communication Technologies in Everyday Life : A Concise Introduction and Research Guide. Page 13, Published by Berg Publishers

• Ogozalek, V & Van Praag, J (1986), Comparison of elderly and younger users on keyboard and voice input computer-based composition tasks. Page 1, Published by ACM New York, NY, USA