There is quit a bit of stuff that argues the Internet question back and forth in the US. Norman Nie and Robert Kraut discuss some of the negative sides while Kavanaugh and Jim Katz/Ron Rice (among others) report on the positive dimensions of Internet use. People who use the mobile telephone particularly for texting, more reported increased types of informal social contact. With mobile telephony the key thing seems to be that it provides ready access to social networks for the individual and thus lowers the threshold for inclusion. You can find the documentation along with other material at: http://www.eurescom.de/e-living/. Other research (for example Reid and Reid have found with a small sample that SMS use tends to make smaller but more intense social relationships. I hope that this helps. Rich L. -----Original Message----- From: air-l-aoir.org-bounces@listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-aoir.org-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Paula Sent: Tuesday, 03 May, 2005 14:32 PM To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Subject: Re: [Air-l] Down to the Wire (Intern) Any theories on why you don't observe this effect with the internet? Is this more likely to be due to technical (slow broadband penetration) or social factors/both? richard-seyler.ling@telenor.com wrote:

One effect that we have observed in the EU's e-lining project is that the mobile telephone facilitates an increase in what we call informal social capital, that is not social capital associated with participation in formal social groups, but rather the informal social interactions of everyday life. We actually have a paper out on this. We were not able to observe the same effects of this vis-à-vis the internet. This work is being pursued in the SOCQUIT project (SOcial Capital, QUality of life and IT). You can see some of the work in the ongoing project at: http://www.eurescom.de/socquit/

Rich Ling

-----Original Message----- From: air-l-aoir.org-bounces@listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-aoir.org-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Ellis Godard Sent: Tuesday, 03 May, 2005 09:00 AM To: andy@wairua.co.nz; air-l@listserv.aoir.org; ellis.godard@csun.edu Subject: RE: [Air-l] Down to the Wire

Interesting you say "down to...". Without the free install and free modem (both standard for virtually any DSL service in the US, and has been the case for years, if not from the start of the DSL explosion), DSL probably wouldn't have taken off in the US as it did.

But, as you also implied, lowering cost is not sufficient to attract folks. They need to see the value of speed itself, and what it gets them.

-eg

...

-----Original Message----- From: Andy Williamson [mailto:andy@wairua.co.nz] Sent: Monday, May 02, 2005 11:52 PM To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org; ellis.godard@csun.edu Subject: RE: [Air-l] Down to the Wire

...

...

No, the 'problem' is us - the stupid user - we simply don't see sufficient value in having a broadband connection. It must be the warm summer we've had but the Emperor is parading around unclad. And nothing the ISPs and TelCo's can do - even down to free install and free adsl modem - is changing our minds. The uptake remains very slow.

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