Bill Dutton, Ellen Helsper, and Eric Meyer The Internet (Web) as an Experience Technology: An Illustrative Case of Social Research Bill Dutton, Ellen Helsper, and Eric Meyer Oxford Internet Institute (OII) University of Oxford www.ox.ac.uk Presentation for the OII Summer Doctoral Programme, 16 July 2008.

Framing Research in the Social Sciences (Cyclical Process) Topic (wonderful, but not a research problem) What is the (a) problem that can be addressed? What research question(s) need to be raised? What answer(s) do you expect, based on what theoretical framework or specific theory (possibly hypotheses) Driving Approach, Methods and Research Design So what? What is the significance for policy/practice? Back to your contribution to topic.

Agenda-Setting: A Topic Arrives OECD Study of Economics of Trust Privacy-Trust Tension Launching the 2003 Oxford Internet Survey UK DTI Foresight Programme: Cyber Trust and Crime Prevention Project Cyber Trust Trust in the Internet (Web)

Key Questions What do we mean by trust or cybertrust? Do people (dis)trust the Internet (Web)? Why? Is trust in the Internet (Web) increasing, or declining?

Trust: Conceptual Definitions Conditions of uncertainty, exposure, temptation Conventional definition: ‘firm belief in the reliability or truth or strength etc of a person or thing … a confident expectation’ (O.E.D.)

Theoretical Expectations? People (dis)trust computer-mediated communication (social psychology of communication, technological rationality) Provenance (Wendy Hall on Monday) Certainty trough? (Donald MacKenzie)

Certainty Trough

Refined Questions Is (dis)trust shaped by proximity to the Internet? Will trust be enhanced or eroded overtime as the Internet becomes more embedded in work and everyday life?

Oxford Internet Surveys 2003, 2005 and 2007 (next in 2009) Cross-sectional Surveys versus Panels Multi-Stage Probability Sample England, Scotland & Wales Respondents: 14 years and older Face-to-face Interviews Sponsorship from Hefce, AOL, BT, British Library, Cisco, Ofcom, Wanadoo (Orange), Talisma Embedded with World Internet Project

2003 2005 2007 Sample Sizes and Response Rates Fielded in June-July February-March March - April Number of respondents 2,030 2,185 2,350 Response rate 66% 72% 77%

Refined Measures: Dimensions of Trust Net-confidence: reliability of information on the net, confidence in ‘people running the Internet’, people you can communicate with on the Internet. Net-risks: perceived risks to privacy, security of information, accurately judging quality of products

Source: Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS), results of a nationwide representative survey of Britons aged 14 and older, 23 May-28 June 2003. Number of respondents: 2,030.

Source: Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS), results of a nationwide representative survey of Britons aged 14 and older, 23 May-28 June 2003. Number of respondents: 2,030.

Trust: Confidence

Trust: Perceived Risk

Factors Shaping Trust: 2003 Findings Net-confidence related to use of broadband, narrowband, being a drop out, and level of education (inversely) Net-risks inversely related to use of the Net (narrow or broadband) and education

Social Dynamics of Cyber Trust: 2005 Analysis Trust, distrust, and blind faith Certainty trough? Internet as an experience technology Education and experience Trust shapes use (e-commerce) Bad experiences undermine trust

Perspectives on e-Social Science What academics will be supportive of e-Research initiatives? Trust in e-Research? Politics of Methodological Camps Research Generations Certainty Trough ESRC’s Oxford e-Social Science Project, a node of the National Centre for e-Social Science, supported by the ESRC (2005-08; 2008-11)

Certainty Trough

Sample

Bias of the Sample

Attitudes towards e-Research (I)

Attitudes towards e-Research (II)

Attitudes towards e-Research (III)

Indicators Proximity (additive index): Uncertainty (additive index): NCeSS Mailing List (Yes = 1); Access Grid (Use = +1, Organized = +2), e-Social Science (Followed eSS = +1, Involved = +2) Uncertainty (additive index): Number of ‘Don’t Know’ responses to questions about e-Research, categorized high, medium, low Support for e-Research (additive index): Number of positive responses to statements about e-Research (exluding ‘adequacy of funding’; and ‘new ethical issues’), categorized high, medium, low

Uncertainty by Proximity

Support by Proximity

Trust in the Internet in 2007 % of trust in the internet. Information and providers are well trusted, but people to be met online are not. Information online trusted more than in newspapers or on television (p.28 report). Newspapers are the least trusted. Institutions internet like television news and more than companies, newspapers and the government People less than doctors, known people, scientists, brits.   Unreliable Neutral Reliable OxIS 2007 N=2,350 (users and non-users)

Trust trends Trust levels remained more or less the same All: OxIS 2003 N=2,029 ; Oxis 2005 N=2,185 ; OxIS 2007 N=2,350

Risk perception Risk perception has increased Internet Users: OxIS 2003 N=1,201 ; Oxis 2005 N=1,309 ; OxIS 2007 N=1,578

Trust over time - + Trust 2003* Trust 2007 Gender NS Social grade Age Education - Broadband +a Proximity Prox*SES + Negative experiences Proximity no longer significant in 2007 * From Dutton & Sheperd (2005) a) No longer significant when only analysing users Internet Users OxIS 2003 N=1,201; OxIS 2007 N=1,578

Non-Linearity (certainty trough) General Trust 2007 Gender NS Social grade Age Education - Broadband Proximity + Prox*SES Non-Linear Proximity Negative experiences Non-Linear indicator of proximity is valid….indicator of certainty through instead of experience technology model? Internet Users OxIS 2007 N=1,578

Certainty Trough? Trust and proximity to the Internet Differences in this graph are small because range of trust indicators not that large. Those who are closer to the internet have lower levels of trust than those who have average proximity, but slightly higher than those who have low proximity. This is true of users of the internet but the effect becomes even stronger when ex-users are included in this calculation. (Ex-users have a higher proximity to the internet than non-users because they have at least been exposed to it for a number of years. OxIS 2007 All N=2,350; Internet Users: N=1,578

A New Problem: A Changing Relationship Between Proximity and Trust in 2007 Data Why would a certainty trough appear in 2007?

Explaining Trust in the Internet

Explaining Trust in the Internet

Explaining Trust in the Internet

The Internet (Web) as an Experience Technology Bill Dutton, Ellen Helsper, and Eric Meyer Oxford Internet Institute (OII) University of Oxford www.ox.ac.uk Presentation for the OII Summer Doctoral Programme, 16 July 2008.