Abstract
We conducted a research project to determine how various information and communication technologies (icts) are perceived by young people. A major focus of this investigation was the mobile telephone, but we also looked at other personal technology such as email, television, postcards, wristwatches and portable entertainment technologies. We used a technique known as the semantic differential (sd) to collect our data, us college students were solicited for their responses to bipolar adjectives with the aim of gaining insight into their “folk views” of these technologies. For comparison purposes data were also gathered from a sample of South Korean students as well as from students in Namibia and Norway. Although the data are potentially subject to serious questions as to their validity and reliability, they appear to be preliminary evidence suggesting that there is a perhaps surprising convergence in young people’s views towards icts. This convergence may take place widely varying cultural and historical backgrounds of users and potential users.
Résumé
L’objectif de ce projet de recherche était de déterminer la perception qu’ont les jeunes des technologies de l’information et de la communication (tic). Cette recherche s’est surtout attachée au téléphone mobile, mais nous nous sommes aussi intéressés à bien d’autres technologies de communication à usage personnel telles que le courrier électronique, la télévision, les cartes postales, les montres ainsi que diverses technologies de loisir portables. Les données nécessaires ont été collectées selon la technique dite du “différenciateur sémantique”. Des entretiens menés avec des étudiants américains leur ont donné l’occasion de réagir à une liste d’adjectifs bipolaires, ce qui nous a permis de mieux connaître leur perception générale (“folk view”) de ces technologies. Dans un souci de comparaison, des étudiants sud-coréens, namibiens et norvégiens ont également été interrogés. Même si leur validité et leur fiabilité peuvent être mises en doute, les données obtenues semblent de prime abord indiquer une surprenante convergence de point de vue quant à la perception des tic par les jeunes. Cette convergence pourrait se constater chez des utilisateurs ou utilisateurs potentiels dans des contextes culturels et historiques très variés.
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Katz, J., Aakhus, M., Kim, H.D. et al. Young user’s attitudes toward icts: A comparative semantic differential study of the mobile telephone. Ann. Télécommun. 57, 225–237 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02994635
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02994635
Key words
- Sociology
- Youth
- Portable telephone set
- comparative study
- Inquiry
- Telecommunication service usage
- Cultural aspect.