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Is the online world as important to Internet users as the real world? This is the basis of a recent study conducted by the USC-Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future. The project surveys more than 2,000 individuals across the United States, each year contacting the same households to explore how online technology affects the lives of Internet users and non-users. It also examines how changing technology, such as the shift from Internet access by modem to broadband, affects behavior.

Online communities commonly refer to sites such as MySpace or Second Life, across Canada we’re starting to see the growth of such communities with organizations such as Kaboose, Urbanmoms.ca and the newly launched justforlaughs.ca (mentioned here).

Key Findings:

- 43 percent of Internet users who are members of online communities say that they “feel as strongly” about their virtual community as they do about their real-world communities

- involvement in online communities leads to offline actions. More than one-fifth of online community members (20.3 percent) take actions offline at least once a year that are related to their online community.

- Online communities and offline action — The Digital Future Project found that involvement in
online communities leads to offline actions. More than one-fifth of online community members (20.3
percent) take actions offline at least once a year that are related to their online community. (An “online
community” is defined as a group that shares thoughts or ideas, or works on common projects, through
electronic communication only.)

- Social activism ­- Participation in online communities leads to social activism. Almost two-
thirds of online community members who participate in social causes through the Internet (64.9 percent)
say they are involved in causes that were new to them when they began participating on the Internet.
And more than 40 percent (43.7 percent) of online community members participate more in social
activism since they started participating in online communities.

- Online communities: daily use — A significant majority of members of online communities
(56.6 percent) log into their community at least once a day.

- Member interaction — Online communities are online havens for interaction among members;
70.4 percent of online community members say they sometimes or always interact with other members
of their community while logged in.

Does the Internet increase regular contact with other users?

Responding to a question last asked in 2002, 42.8 percent of Internet users
agree that going online has increased the number of people they regularly
stay in contact with — marginally less than the 46.6 percent who voiced
the same response four years ago.
Internet users and communication with family and friends — Although
more than 40 percent of users say that the Internet has increased the
number of people with whom they stay in contact, a lower percent say that
since starting to use the Internet they are communicating more with family
and friends.
In 2006, 37.7 percent of Internet users agree that since they started
to go online they are communicating more with family and friends — down
from 45.5 percent in 2002.

Categories: Knowledge Centre