Internet users at Swedish universities in 2007 - an Internet foresight study

Students as Internet explorers

Among advanced users of the Internet students play a key role. Studying their behaviour on the Internet will enable us to identify new trends at an early stage and help us understand what lies ahead. What's more, today's students constitute a large group in society who will soon be entering the labour market bringing with them their newly-won knowledge and expectations.

How do they use the Internet? What websites do they visit? What do they read about? What do they know? Do they share knowledge and content on the Internet, do they take part in discussion groups?

The InternetExplorers study will shed light on how the Internet is used at universities. The survey will provide a basis for qualified analysis and study of what tomorrow's broad users will expect of the Internet. It will form part of further discussions about new user patterns, which in turn will be analysed in the light of their innovation potential. The purpose of InternetExplorers is to acquire and disseminate new knowledge about the conditions that will have a decisive effect on the development of successful IT-based services.

The users as a resource

In just a few years the Internet has developed into a powerful tool for contact and interaction between people. Communities, originally a forum for social contacts reserved for computer buffs, now attract people with widely varying backgrounds and interests. And those members create content online. Subjects vary from games and other forms of entertainment to open source software and open educational resources.

These communities all have one thing in common. Their users are at liberty - generally free of charge - to add, revise, modify and adapt the contents as they see fit. Only one thing is unacceptable - restricting other peoples' freedom to do the very same thing.

In a broader perspective we are witnessing a change in the role of established companies and organisations as their customers become increasingly active users in networks. As with all change, this situation offers both opportunities and risks. Communities can be an inexhaustible source of information that can be used to improve products and services. At the same time, many companies watch with mixed feelings as their control over important resources slowly erodes.

In such a business environment early information about new patterns of use can be crucial to success. Most importantly, companies need to be one step ahead in the development and adaptation of products, services and business models. This is why knowledge about early users is of strategic importance.

Trends in innovation research

In the traditional view of innovation companies play a key role. Through investments in R&D they build an internal knowledge base and use it to develop new products and services. Today many researchers view this process differently. In an age of rapid development and complex knowledge bases the source of innovation is to be found in networks rather than within the confines of corporate structures.

This new view is particularly true of communities working with open source software. Their members make active contributions with program code, bug reports and discussions. They follow and support development in various projects. It is not unusual for both developer and user to be found here, outside the traditional corporate boundaries.

But also in a broader context the previously sharp delineation between producers and consumers is becoming blurred. The users' role in the value-adding process has been redefined: they take an active part in the creation of new knowledge, not just for their own benefit but in interaction with others - either with companies or networks of other users.

How do we find the early users?

In 2003 SUNET initiated a study of Internet use at Swedish universities. The study focused on students, researchers, teachers and other members of staff. The questions were formulated in such a way as to facilitate comparison with other studies. Results showed clearly that universities are leaders when it comes to the use of the Internet.

However, even in this environment we find considerable variation. This is particularly true when it comes to the private use of the Internet. Here, students generally use the Internet for more purposes than their teachers.

The distribution supports the established theory of the diffusion of innovations. According to the SUNET study, the early users of new applications are to be found primarily among students at faculties of computer and engineering sciences. This would indicate that interest in technology is a driving force behind the desire to test new applications

Aim and direction

The purpose of InternetExplorers is to continue to acquire and enhance knowledge about Internet use at universities. The study is in line with the emphasis that modern innovation research places on lead-users in networks. It will build on results and experiences from the SUNET study of 2003, focusing this time on new user patterns from the perspective of innovation. This will be achieved by:

Method

The study will be based on a survey of selected students, doctoral students and employees at 32 Swedish universities. A postal questionnaire will be sent to 4 000 respondents in the autumn of 2007. Statistics Sweden will be responsible for selection and data collection. Earlier experiences indicate that a response frequency of 55-60 percent is likely.

The formulation of the questions in the study will be conducted in dialogue with researchers and other experts. Comparability with similar studies will be an important factor in the selection and formulation of questions. In the case of students and doctoral students it will be possible to break down the responses into eight educational fields.

Towards the end of the project the statistical data will be supplemented with in-depth interviews and focus discussions. This will enable us to verify hypotheses and produce explanatory illustrations and examples of different users' relationships to the Internet. The project will close in September 2009.

About the project

InternetExplorers is being conducted by the Swedish IT-User Centre, NITA, at Uppsala University with financing from VINNOVA, the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems. Håkan Selg, Senior Researcher and project manager for the SUNET study, will be responsible for management of this new project. Other participants include Professor Olle Findahl, Research Director at the World Internet Institute, Mats Edenius, Director of NITA, and Erik Borälv, Director of Communication at NITA.

For more information, contact Håkan Selg, selg@nita.uu.se, phone: +46 8 30 00 40, mobile: +46 70 630 00 85, or visit the project website www.internetexplorers.se.