MediaBerkman

Eszter Hargittai on Young Adult Internet Use, Demographics and Skill Level

October 30th, 2007

Eszter Hargittai, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies and Sociology, and Faculty Associate of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University, was the guest speaker this week at the Berkman Center’s Luncheon Series.

Download the MP3 (time: 1:02:11)

Hargittai presented a new study using a unique data set on young adults’ Internet uses, skills and participation. She looked at differences in daily digital media uses by type of user background, access and skill level. While all young adults in the sample regularly use the Internet, there are systematic variations in their familiarity with the Web and who does what online. In addition to exploring the relationship of socioeconomic factors and Internet usage, the talk also considers the important mediating role of skill in what people do online.

Hargittai heads the Web Use Project at Northwestern University. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from Princeton University where she was a Wilson Scholar. She spent the 2006-07 academic year as a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences.

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Entry Filed under: audio,Berkman Center,Berkman Luncheon Series,Digital Natives