People’s beliefs about the Internet: Surveying the positive and negative

The explosion of the Intemet -- and the Worl d Wide Web (WWW) in particular -- has led to the distribution of information to a much more diverse and unspecified audience. Human factors professionals have a stake in the design of these Intemet-based tools and the delivery of information over them. An initial survey distributed to a large diverse population asked respondents to provide positive and negative aspects about the WWW and related Intemet communication te c hnologies. The responses (n - 380) were grouped according to general positive and negative categories. Most of the c ategories paralleled ea c h other on the negative and positive side. Access to information and security dominated both the positive and negative. A second survey had respondents rate 26 positive and negative items based on aspects identified in the first survey. The responses (n = 219) supported the larger categories identified in the first survey and revealed differences in attitude towards the Intemet based on age, gender, and student status. These issues, plus others mentioned in the responses, are ones that human factors professionals are in a position to address. examines s om e of concems, issues, a nd attrac t io n s of t he I N TRO D UCTION Intemet. It also evaluates how well the identified items Many of the design problems human factors professionals capture the most salient affective issues surrounding the use if fa c e concern well-defined problems with relatively well- the Intemet. defined populations. The explosion of the Intemet-- and the World Wide Web (WWW) in particular -- has led to the ME T H O D distribution of information to a much more diverse and unspecified audience. In addition, how this material is used Participants . Of the 380 respondents to the first survey, and how they respond to it is often equally undetermined. 207 (60.5%) indicated they were male and 135 (39.5%) Given this environment, it is worthwhile to understand how female. Most respondents were Caucasian , with only 14% larger , m o re general demogr a phic groups approach the use of c hoosing another e t hnic category. Thirty - five percent of the the Internet. To this end, the interest should be both in these respondents were between 18 and 21 years of age, 38% groups' likes and dislikes. Moreb@obal information about between 22 and 40 years, and the remainder over 40 years. different group's attitudes concerning the Internet can be These age ranges roughly paralleled the level of education of useful early in the design stages in making larger, more the respondents, with 26.3% not having completed at least one strategic decisions concerning information to be distributed year of college and another 30.1% having completed at least via the Internet. Clearly, human factors professionals have a an undergraduate degree. Of the 219 respondents to the stake in the design of these Internet-based tools and the second survey, 122 (55.7%)indicated they were male and 97 delivery of information over them (cf., Forsythe, Grose & (44.3%) female. For this survey, only 7.3% chose an ethnic Ratner, 1997). Given that user attitudes, beliefs, and category other than Caucasian.