David Schlossberg Megan Finn
What is FreshQuest? A study of Berkeley freshmen and how they use technology to support their social networks
Presentation Outline Methodology Relevant Technologies Research Findings –Education –Relationships –Adoption –Negotiation Conclusions
Our Methodology Survey ● 152 snowball responses ● 80 “random” responses Interviews ● 22 from the “random” group ● 18 years old
Instant Messaging (IM)
Blogs
Texting Text messaging or SMS
Social Networking Services
Student Tech Use Frequency
FreshQuest Findings Education Relationships Adoption Negotiation
EDUCATION – Group Work Instead of calling everyone individually, you just send a mass to them. Usually we’ll plan to meet up at a time and we’ll collaborate then. - Sandra
EDUCATION Help From Classmates If you work on assignments at 3:00 in the morning... you can immediately talk to someone [on IM]. - Anita
EDUCATION In Class Etiquette Me and my friend both had classes that we didn’t need to pay attention to at all. We text messaged the entire time. - Jenny
FreshQuest Findings Education Relationships Adoption Negotiation
The Relationship Spectrum IntimateBusiness All Conversations
RELATIONSHIPS Intimate It’s pretty neat to be able to see [via webcam] my brother, my family twelve thousand miles away over the sea. -Raj
RELATIONSHIPS Business [For] something more serious and more businesslike, I will probably them. It feels more formal to . - Angus
RELATIONSHIPS Friends at UC It’s just planning mostly… “Do you wanna go to [the cafeteria] after I get off of work?” or, “are you going to the concert on Saturday night?” - Joan
RELATIONSHIPS Friends from high school If I do talk to them [high school friends], I want it to be more interesting stuff. I wouldn't say, “Oh, I showered this morning.” - Eve
FreshQuest Findings Education Relationships Adoption –Cost –Motivation –Patterns Negotiation
ADOPTION cost I got a computer when I was five. We didn't have that much money… we lived in a little apartment and with a twin bed, and my dad insisted on getting computer -Kim
ADOPTION patterns I get help from my brothers and pass on the information. -Sandra
ADOPTION chat rooms At first, I didn't know a lot of people online. I would go in the chat room because I was bored. I had this friend who I met through a chat room and we still sorta . -Eliza
ADOPTION blogs [Using blogs] depends on circles of friends, my roommate is really into blogs and she will update it several times a day, but then within my circle of friends, we don’t really do that. - Sarah
ADOPTION blogs I started Xanga in my senior year just because everyone else had it, but I don’t update like daily like a lot of people. -Erin
ADOPTION IM - adoption of technology My friends would talk about their conversations... I said, 'How did you guys know that?‘ … Then they showed me how to download [AIM]. -Joe
ADOPTION IM - adoption of a technology practice You could talk to people [on AIM] and use abbreviations and cool little things. The more you abbreviated, the cooler you were -Joan
ADOPTION value of Before I came to Berkeley I’d barely get … is everything here…. I can my GSIs and they will get in touch me faster than if I called. -Jenny
FreshQuest Findings Education Relationships Adoption Negotiation –Distracting –“Always on” –Addiction –Turning it off
NEGOTIATION “always on” This one guy on my floor pretty much stays in his room and stays on the computer all day. -Raj
NEGOTIATION stigma I think it's kind looked down upon to ask for an AIM name to get a hold of someone that you're just meeting.... It’s tied in with the thought of being on the computer all the time -Luke
NEGOTIATION distracting, waste of time I didn’t want a laptop because I feel like I would constantly be using it.... I see people use their laptops in classes… I just think that it is distracting -James
NEGOTIATION addiction I thought, ‘I need to stop using AIM.’ And I knew at that time I was kind of addicted to it... Now I try not to [be online]. -Sandra
NEGOTIATION turning it off My boyfriend always says, ‘Why don't you take a cell phone with you?' I don’t like being at everyone's beck and call, so I like to leave it behind. -Laura
Findings Education Relationships Adoption Negotiation
Future work Video games Siblings Students from other schools Longer time frame
Special Thanks! Peter Lyman, our advisor Judd Antin & Dave Hong Alison Billings Jeff Towle Gregg Thomson MacArthur Foundation and finally All the students who participated in our study
Thank you for listening