Internet Use

In this work, we introduce the Coordinated Cross Plane Session Termination, or CXPST, attack, a distributed denial of service attack that attacks the control plane of the Internet. CXPST extends previous work that demonstrates a vulnerability in routers that allows an adversary to disconnect a pair of routers using only data plane traffic. By carefully choosing BGP sessions to terminate, CXPST generates a surge of BGP updates that are seen by nearly all core routers on the Internet. This surge of updates surpasses the computational capacity of affected routers, crippling their ability to make routing decisions.

Drawing on a survey among 687 adolescents, this article investigates to what extent their perceptions of internet communication differ and what background variables (i.e. age, gender, social anxiety, loneliness, need for affiliation) underlie these differences. The analysis focuses on how adolescents perceive the controllability, reciprocity, breadth and depth of internet communication in comparison with face-to-face communication. Younger, socially anxious and lonely adolescents more strongly value the controllability of internet communication and perceive it as broader, deeper and more reciprocal than older, non-socially anxious and non-lonely adolescent respondents. Boys perceive internet communication as more reciprocal than girls do. The greater the adolescents' need for affiliation, the more often they regard internet communication as deeper than face-toface communication. The findings suggest that a stronger focus on perceptions of internet communication may improve understanding of the internet as a social medium.

We present a model of energy consumption in IP networks. Using this model, we identify energy ldquohotspotsrdquo and estimate how energy consumption will grow with increasing network capacity. Todaypsilas Internet uses less than 1% of the available electricity supply. However, network energy consumption could grow substantially as access rates increase.

The purpose of this study was to gain a clearer understanding of the pattern of video game and internet use among college students and to examine how electronic leisure was related to risk behaviors (i.e., drinking, drug use, sex), perceptions of the self (i.e., self worth and social acceptance), and relationships with others (i.e., relationship quality with parents and friends). Participants included 813 undergraduate students (500 young women, 313 young men, M age = 20, SD = 1.87) who were mainly European American (79%), unmarried (100%) and living outside their parents' home (90%). Results suggested that (a) video game use was linked to negative outcomes for men and women, (b) different patterns of video game and internet use existed for men and women and (c) there were different relations to risk behaviors, feelings about the self, and relationship quality based on the type of internet use, and based on gender. The discussion focuses on the implications of electronic leisure on the overall health and development of young people as they transition to adulthood.

Objectives: to ascertain the views of midwives on Internet use in midwifery practice, to elicit the extent and nature of pregnant women's use of the Internet from a midwifery perspective, and to explore midwives' perceptions of pregnant women using the Internet as an information source. Setting: 12 online midwifery discussion fora. Design: a cross-sectional exploratory descriptive web-based survey. Methodology: midwives from midwifery e-discussion groups who had direct contact with pregnant women were invited to share their experiences of working with women who presented them with information gleaned from the Internet. Participants: an international sample of 303 midwives accessed and completed a web-based questionnaire. Results: the vast majority of midwives who responded (89%, n ¼ 271) perceived an increase in Internet use among pregnant women. Midwives reported that women used the Internet to obtain information on a broad range of pregnancy-related topics. Most (86%, n ¼ 260) had experience of a pregnant woman discussing information from the Internet with them in the past year. A concerned minority (19%, n ¼ 49) regarded the information retrieved by the women to be either 'not very' or 'not at all' accurate. Twothirds (67%, n ¼ 174) considered that the information had an effect on how the woman thought her pregnancy should be managed. Key conclusions: this study provides evidence of pregnant women accessing the Internet to obtain information related to their pregnancy. Midwives recognise that pregnant women are increasingly using the Internet as an accessible resource for information to inform decision-making in pregnancy. This presents a number of challenges for midwives. Implications for practice: midwives need to keep up-to-date with the latest knowledge. Midwives' skills in Internet use need to be developed so that they can be effective and competent partners in supporting post-modern women.

Media reports on incidences of abuse on the internet, particularly among teenagers, are growing at an alarming rate causing much concern among parents of teenagers and prompting legislations aimed at regulating internet use among teenagers. Social networking sites (SNS) have ...

The new psychological disorder of Internet addiction is fast accruing both popular and professional recognition. Past studies have indicated that some patterns of Internet use are associated with loneliness, shyness, anxiety, depression, and self-consciousness, but there appears to be little consensus about Internet addiction disorder. This exploratory study attempted to examine the potential influences of personality variables, such as shyness and locus of control, online experiences, and demographics on Internet addiction. Data were gathered from a convenient sample using a combination of online and offline methods. The respondents comprised 722 Internet users mostly from the Net-generation. Results indicated that the higher the tendency of one being addicted to the Internet, the shyer the person is, the less faith the person has, the firmer belief the person holds in the irresistible power of others, and the higher trust the person places on chance in determining his or her own course of life. People who are addicted to the Internet make intense and frequent use of it both in terms of days per week and in length of each session, especially for online communication via e-mail, ICQ, chat rooms, newsgroups, and online games. Furthermore, full-time students are more likely to be addicted to the Internet, as they are considered high-risk for problems because of free and unlimited access and flexible time schedules. Implications to help professionals and student affairs policy makers are addressed. 559

Due to the continuous growth and spread of the internet using Web Mining to improve the quality of different services has become a necessity. Web Mining is nothing else than applying data mining techniques and algorithms on web data. In this work we present two algorithms used in Web Structure Mining namely Page Rank and HITS. Both algorithms draw their origin from social networks analysis and they are modeled based on the Theory of Markov Chains. Page Rank is used by the search engine GOOGLE and HITS by the search engine CLEVER. We present their strengths, weakness and other areas of applicability.

This study examined problematic gaming behavior and depressive tendencies among people who play different types of online-games. Other game-related variables were investigated to determine if other differences between three game types could be established. Participants in the current research (n = 468) can be classified into three independent groups. Subjected users either solely played massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) or they preferred online-ego-shooters (OES) or real-time-strategy games (RTS). Results indicate that MMORPG users show more often problematic gaming behavior, depressive tendencies and lower self-esteem compared to users playing other online-games. MMORPG users reported to playing significantly more often in order to escape from real-life problems, which might be a valuable coping strategy but might also lead to problematic gaming behavior.

Internet addiction (IA) is a relatively new field of academic inquiry. Empirical studies suggest that IA, like other well researched addictive behaviours, has an effect on many aspects of a person"s life, including academic/work performance, relationships,

This study examined a modified version of the Loneliness and Sexual Risk Model (LSRM), which predicts that sexual risk behavior results in part from a link between loneliness and compulsivity. A convenience sample of 49 adolescent males (ages 14 to 19) seeking services at a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Community Center completed a cross-sectional survey that included questions on loneliness, internalized homophobia, and compulsive Internet use. Descriptive, correlational, and regression analyses were conducted. Participants reported a range (0–40) of sexual partners in the past year. Compulsive Internet use was positively and significantly associated with both loneliness and internalized homophobia. A negative binomial regression analysis found that greater feelings of loneliness, less Internet use, and greater homophobia were associated with more sexual partners in the past year. The results provide partial support for the LSRM in adolescents. Implications for pre...

In the industrialized world, Internet use has grown exponentially to become a global communication and business resource. For the time being, both theoretical and empirical research on consumption and the Internet are still in their infancy. This paper discusses the possible influence of the Internet on sustainable consumption. In absence of a solid empirical data base, the approach is a conceptual one. The paper investigates the role of the Internet in the development of consumption patterns and lifestyles, looks at the Internet's role in developing public awareness of environmental and social issues, and discusses its potential contribution to support strategies for sustainable consumption such as sufficiency, efficiency, consistency, and political consumption. It concludes with implications for consumer policy and questions for further research. While shopping via the web has been reduced to little more than the bit of eye-hand coordination required for a series of mouseclicks, the impact of a consumption-heavy lifestyle on the environment has decidedly not been lessened. Whereas the digital age promises everything, all the time, right away, the momentum of the industrial system and of growing human numbers is such that climate change, soil degradation, over-pumping of groundwater, and deforestation cannot be easily reversed.

Although the Web audience is growing exponentially, little research has explored the benefits that the audience derives from their use of the Web. This study took a cost-benefit approach to exploring the specific benefits and opportunity costs associated with World Wide Web use. We hypothesized that greater benefits coupled with fewer opportunity costs (e.g., computer and Internet access, computer expertise, connection speed, effort, and multimedia) would have an impact on the amount of time people spend on the Web and the value they attach to their Web use. We conducted a Web-based survey of 250 students enrolled at two "wired" universities who were required to use the Web for coursework. The results revealed that Leaming was the most salient benefit of the Web, followed by Pass Time and Entertainment. We found some support for the impact of opportunity costs on Web use. Stronger support was found for the impact of benefits and costs on Web surfing value. We also found that Entertainment and sports Web sites xvere the ones most likely to be linked to beneficial Web use. The discussion relates the results of the study to speculations about the future of the Web audience and the impact of reduced opportunity costs on Web use.

With more than 1 billion Internet users worldwide, the World Wide Web has inevitably made its mark on the global healthcare industry. As an EU nation, Greece has not conducted many e-health trends surveys due to the low penetration of the Internet and the continued belief among Greek consumers that the Internet cannot substitute for face-to-face contact with a physician. Yet, the extant literature does reveal a growing trend of Internet usage for health-related information among Greek consumers over the past decade. The purpose of this study is to survey the extent of Internet usage for health-related purposes among a representative sample of Greek consumers. Results indicated Internet usage among Greek consumers is rising in comparison with past surveys. Also, Greek consumers who are young, female, and well-educated seem to also trust health-related information found on the Internet as well as following recommendations they get from online health-related information.

Although computers and the internet, indispensable tools in people's lives today, facilitate life on the one hand, they have brought new risks with them on the other. Internet dependency, or problematic internet use, has emerged as a new concept of addiction. Parallel to this increasing in society in general, it is also on the rise among university students and is widely believed to have a negative impact on their lives. The aim of this study was to investigate whether academic self-efficacy and academic procrastination can act as predictors of problematic internet use among university students. The study group consisted of 398 students attending education, medicine, architecture and economics programs at the Karadeniz Technical University in Turkey. The Problematic Internet Use Scale, Academic Self-efficacy Scale, Academic Procrastination Scale and a Personal Data Form were used as scaling instruments. Pearson's correlation coefficient, multiple regression analysis, independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the data collected. The results show a significant negative correlation between academic self-efficacy and problematic internet use, while the relation between problematic internet use and academic procrastination was not statistically significant. Furthermore, academic self-efficacy was determined to be a significant predictor of problematic internet use. The results also show a significant difference in problematic internet use in terms of students' programs, though levels of problematic internet use did not differ in terms of sex or ownership of a computer. These findings are discussed in the light of the relevant literature and some new directions for further studies are suggested.

Searching product information and buying goods online are becoming increasingly popular activities, which would seem likely to affect shopping trips. However, little empirical evidence about the relationships between e-shopping and in-store shopping is available. The aim of this study is to describe how the frequencies of online searching, online buying, and non-daily shopping trips relate to each other, and how they are influenced by such factors as attitudes, behaviour, and land use features. Questionnaire data were collected from 826 ...

Within developed countries, the penetration of cell phones and the Internet has risen in tandem and the point of market saturation has nearly been reached in both markets. In contrast, the African continent has been characterized by more uneven progress, with the penetration of cell phones (41% in 2010) considerably outpacing the penetration of the Internet (9.6%). The question is then raised as to whether cell phone and Internet adoption processes in Africa are different as compared to other regions. To address this question, we compare the determinants and hindrances of both Internet and cell phone use in Gabon, using household survey data. Our econometric results show that the primary factors stimulating Internet use consist of a high level of education and computer skills. As regards cell phone use, the main obstacles are economic. Finally, an individual's age has a positive impact on cell phone use and a negative impact on Internet use. The differences identified in both penetration and user profiles between Internet and cell phone service should motivate African governments to develop digital policies more heavily focused on a wider dissemination of cell phones in order to make innovative services and applications (e.g. in the field of health or education) available to as broad a population as possible.

Internet use among small businesses has recently become a popular topic for researchers in the fields of Information Systems and Entrepreneurship. In view of the media hype this topic has received over recent months, it is important for small businesses to learn from the experiences of early adopters of the Internet. In this paper we present the results of case study research involving twenty-three Australian small businesses which were early adopters of the Internet-and which are still users. We find that they are predominantly using the Internet as a communications medium and, to a lesser extent, as a document transfer and advertising channel. Management enthusiasm and perceived benefits seem to be the driving force for ongoing Internet use, although we discovered little or no integration between internal applications and Internet interorganisational functions. Our findings also point to the importance of entrepreneurship for successful Internet use. Small Business Use of the Internet : Findings from Australian Case Studies PAWEC'97 8-2

To date, research focused on ''traditional'' (i.e. in-person) youth bullying behaviour has documented serious psychosocial challenges for those involved. How this literature translates to youth engaging in aggressive behaviours online has yet to be examined. Using the largest US sample of youth Internet users to date, psychosocial characteristics of youth engaging in Internet harassment were examined. Results from the nationally representative survey suggested that Internet harassment is a significant public health issue, with aggressors facing multiple psychosocial challenges including poor parent-child relationships, substance use, and delinquency. Comparisons to traditional bullies were made, with similarities and differences noted.

À partir d’une approche combinant sociologie des usages d’internet et gérontologie critique, le but de cette thèse est d’abord de montrer que le contexte sociohistorique de ces dernières décennies, qui a vu apparaître des représentations positives de la vieillesse, à travers l’émergence du « troisième âge » puis de la figure du « senior » dynamique, a conduit au renouvellement des normes sociales concernant les adultes âgés. Dans la continuité des prescriptions plus anciennes du « vieillissement réussi », l’incitation est désormais forte, pour lutter contre le « déclin » associé au vieillissement, de mener un mode de vie à la fois actif et connecté. Ce travail cherche ensuite à montrer comment les usages des technologies numériques de l’information et de la communication (TNIC) par les adultes âgés sont informés par ces représentations, et inversement. Pour cela, une enquête s’appuyant sur des matériaux variés a été mise en place, incluant des entretiens avec des personnes de 62 à 82 ans, des observations ethnographiques dans des cours d’initiation à l’informatique proposés par des associations de retraités, et enfin l’analyse d’un corpus de sites web de sociabilité pour « seniors ».
Il s’avère que les usages sociaux des TNIC et leurs représentations accompagnent des processus de définition identitaire complexes pour le groupe social des adultes âgés. Leur forme varie en fonction de l’orientation des institutions (commerciales ou associatives) qui portent les discours du « bien-vieillir connecté » et des publics auxquels elles s’adressent, ainsi que de la trajectoire et de l’appartenance en termes de génération, de genre et de classe des individus. Néanmoins, ces injonctions normatives font l’objet d’appropriation variées ; et par leurs pratiques et leurs aspirations, les adultes âgés peuvent aussi contribuer à les renforcer. En outre, si le mode de vie actif et connecté est plutôt l’apanage des classes moyennes et supérieures, on observe aussi des points communs dans la relation que les adultes âgés dans leur ensemble entretiennent avec les TNIC, s’expliquant par l’expérience partagée de la retraite et de la condition de personne vieillissante dans une société de plus en plus « numérisée ».

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Grounded in an approach that combines sociology of internet use and critical gerontology, the goal of this thesis is to demonstrate that the socio-historic context of the last decades, where more positive representations of aging appeared – starting with the emergence of the “Third Age” and resulting in the contemporary figure of the dynamic “senior” – led to the renewal of social norms concerning older adults. Building on the already existing ideal of “successful aging”, the pressure of resisting the “decline” associated with old age continues to grow, mandating the development of both an active and connected lifestyle. This study then analyses how social uses of digital technologies by older adults are influenced by those cultural representations, and vice versa. To this end, a methodology based on the collection of various empirical elements has been built; it includes semi-structured interviews with individuals from 62 to 82 years old; ethnographic observation in computer classes offered by associations for retired people; and the analysis of several websites specialized in the development of “senior” sociability.
It appears that digital technologies’ uses and representations help shape the complex construction of the identity of older adults, both as individuals and as a social group. These identities can vary depending on the type of institutions (commercial or non-profit) that promote discourses of “connected successful aging”, and on the profile of the public they target, but may also be affected by an individual’s social trajectory, generation, class and gender. Nevertheless, those social norms are interpreted and adapted in various ways; and through their practices and aspirations, older adults themselves can contribute to reinforcing them. Moreover, although the “connected” and active lifestyle is more likely to be applied by older people coming from the middle and upper class, the data collected revealed some common features in the attitudes and perceptions towards digital media of older adults, explained by their shared experience of being both a retired and aging person in an increasingly digitalized environment.

A multimethod exploration of undergraduates' high-speed Internet use in residence halls took a uses-and-gratifications approach (U & G) and revealed Internet use as integral to students' lives. Students' negative comments about Internet distractions from academic work led to identification of an individual difference variable, internal locus of control of academic effort, as potentially predictive of student variations in use. A random survey (n = 364) revealed positive perceptions of Internet use for academics was weakly but significantly associated with internal locus of control for academic effort. Time spent instant messaging (IM) was negatively correlated with the ability to avoid Internet distractions and concentration on academic work. Strategies are needed to help undergraduates gain control over high-speed Internet use to meet their academic goals. D

with dispositional or daily well-being. However, as suggested by intimacy theory, the closeness of instant message communication partners was associated with daily social anxiety and loneliness in school, above and beyond the contribution of dispositional measures.

The growth in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) production and consumption has been exponential in the last two decades. This has been as a result of the rapid changes in equipment features and capabilities, decrease in prices, and the growth in internet use. This creates a large volume of waste stream of obsolete electrical and electronic devices (e-waste) in developed countries. There is high level of trans-boundary movement of these devices as secondhand electronic equipment into developing countries in an attempt to bridge the 'digital divide'. The past decade has witnessed a phenomenal advancement in information and communication technology (ICT) in Nigeria, most of which rely on imported secondhand devices. This paper attempts to review the material flow of secondhand/scrap electronic devices into Nigeria, the current management practices for e-waste and the environmental and health implications of such low-end management practices. Establishment of formal recycling facilities, introduction of legislation dealing specifically with e-waste and the confirmation of the functionality of secondhand EEE prior to importation are some of the options available to the government in dealing with this difficult issue.

The present study investigated the extent to which inter-personal skills, personality, and emotional intelligence (EI) were related to the extent of usage of the Internet, as measured with the Internet Addiction Scale, on a sample of undergraduates. EI was assessed by performance measures derived from the identification and labeling of emotions as shown in pictures of facial expressions, and as interpreted from descriptions of social episodes. Use of the Internet was related to loneliness and adherence to idiosyncratic values (strong effects), and also to poorer balance between work and leisure and emotional intelligence (weaker effects). Big Five personality dimensions were also included in the study. No link was found between personality and usage of the Internet. Results suggest that frequent users tend to be lonely, to have deviant values, and to some extent to lack the emotional and social skills characteristic of high EI. 41

In Nepal the Internet penetration rate is just about 15%. The digital divide extends not only to access
to ICTs but also users’ ability to exploit these to ease their lives. This study aims to examine how the
Internet is exploited as an educational resource by Kathmandu Valley’s urban youth and whether
there is a digital divide between students living in central and peripheral locations even within the
Valley, one of South Asia’s most rapidly growing urban areas.
In this study, students between the ages of 15 and 17 were surveyed at three different schools:
Phulchoki English School (Badikhel, Lalitpur), Pushpanjali Secondary School (Godawari, Lalitpur)
and Rayners’ High School (Minbhawan, Kathmandu). Participants answered questions regarding their
access to and use of the Internet and more specifically about their use of the Internet for educational
purposes. It was expected that students at Rayners’ High School would make greatest use of the
Internet because of its central location and access to better Internet facilities, followed by Pushpanjali
and Phulchoki. This was found to be true but much fewer students use the Internet for educational
purposes than was expected, even at Rayners’. It is very likely that students, guardians and possibly
teachers view the Internet as a medium of entertainment, not an educational resource.

Facebook is quickly becoming one of the most popular tools for social communication. However, Facebook is somewhat different from other Social Networking Sites as it demonstrates an offline-to-online trend; that is, the majority of Facebook Friends are met offline and then added later. The present research investigated how the Five-Factor Model of personality relates to Facebook use. Despite some expected trends regarding Extraversion and Openness to Experience, results indicated that personality factors were not as influential as previous literature would suggest. The results also indicated that a motivation to communicate was influential in terms of Facebook use. It is suggested that different motivations may be influential in the decision to use tools such as Facebook, especially when individual functions of Facebook are being considered.

In the increasingly user-generated Web, users' personality traits may be crucial factors leading them to engage in this participatory media. The literature suggests factors such as extraversion, emotional stability and openness to experience are related to uses of social applications on the Internet. Using a national sample of US adults, this study investigated the relationship between these three dimensions of the Big-Five model and social media use (defined as use of social networking sites and instant messages). It also examined whether gender and age played a role in that dynamic. Results revealed that while extraversion and openness to experiences were positively related to social media use, emotional stability was a negative predictor, controlling for socio-demographics and life satisfaction. These findings differed by gender and age. While extraverted men and women were both likely to be more frequent users of social media tools, only the men with greater degrees of emotional instability were more regular users. The relationship between extraversion and social media use was particularly important among the young adult cohort. Conversely, being open to new experiences emerged as an important personality predictor of social media use for the more mature segment of the sample.

Broadband changes everything. Or so we are told. But does it? There is only one way to find outfollow people who move from narrowband to broadband internet access and see what changes. This paper reports exactly this kind of analysis using data from a two wave European panel study (e-Living) and the lagged endogenous regression approach to see if switching to broadband increases the time spent online, the use of online communication services, the breadth of internet activities and the amount of online spend, and whether it decreases the time spent watching TV and the level of social leisure activities. The results suggest, in the main, that switching to broadband made little difference for this group of early broadband adopters who were already heavy internet users. There was no evidence of an online spend or social leisure substitution effect although there was evidence of a reduction in time spent watching television, and an increase in email in use, time spent online and breadth of internet use. In all cases however it was the previous levels of behaviour that were the most significant and switching to broadband was, in general, one of the least strong effects.

The current study examined the longitudinal associations of time spent on Internet activities for communication purposes (i.e., IM-ing) versus time spent on Internet activities for non-communication purposes (i.e., surfing) with depression and social anxiety, as well as the moderating role of perceived friendship quality in these associations. Questionnaire data were gathered from 307 Dutch middle adolescents (average age 15 years) on two waves with a one-year interval. For adolescents who perceive low friendship quality, Internet use for communication purposes predicted less depression, whereas Internet use for non-communication purposes predicted more depression and more social anxiety. These results support social compensation effects of IMing on depression and poor-get-poorer effects of surfing on depression and social anxiety, respectively.

This study examines the Internet usage of high school students for educational purposes in relation to their learning approaches. In the study, 921 secondary school students were subjected, and Learning Process Questionnaire (LPQ) was used. This tool consisted of two dimension, deep learning and surface learning. According to the data obtained, surface learners use the Internet more when compared to deep learners, though they use it for non-instructional purposes. The ratios of the Internet use of deep learners for educational purposes are higher when compared to those of surface learners. Ratios of the Internet use for educational purposes by the students who are given assignments requiring the use of the Internet are higher.

As computer and Internet use become a staple of everyday life, the potential for overuse is introduced, which may lead to addiction. Research on Internet addiction has shown that users can become addicted to it. Addiction to the Internet shares some of the negative aspects of substance addiction and has been shown to lead to consequences such as failing school, family, and relationship problems.

Social network sites (SNSs) are commonly used to maintain existing relationships and form connections with new contacts. Recently, concerns of have been expressed over the way these Web-based technologies are used. Estimates suggest that people are increasingly using SNSs for engaging in the surveillance of others. Given the relatively high rates of prevalence, it can be argued that SNSs have been reinvented into a tool for interpersonal surveillance along with their social networking capabilities. This article expands on the concept of interpersonal electronic surveillance and applies it in the specific context of romantic partners' use of SNSs. The relationships between surveillance over SNSs and demographic, relational, and Internet use and efficacy variables are studied. The findings reveal that interpersonal surveillance over SNSs is influenced by age, the time individuals spend on their partners' profiles, the integration of SNSs into daily routines, and Internet self-efficacy.

Depuis le milieu des années 2000, le taux d'équipement informatique et de connexion à l'internet des retraités français ne cesse de croître, contribuant à combler la situation de « fracture numérique » que l'on associe traditionnellement à cette catégorie d'usagers. Cependant, cette amélioration des chiffres signifie-t-elle que l'on assiste à une véritable acculturation numérique des aînés ? En étudiant les usages et attitudes des retraités face à la numérisation des services administratifs et de loisir à partir d'entretiens et d'observations, ce chapitre propose de soumettre l'idée de « culture numérique » à l'épreuve de notre terrain, nous poussant à explorer la notion d'autonomie des aînés face aux TIC.

This study explores the role of urban public spaces for democratic and social engagement. It examines the impact of wireless Internet use on urban public spaces, Internet users, and others who inhabit these spaces. Through observations of 7 parks, plazas, and markets in 4 North American cities, and surveys of wireless Internet users in those sites, we explore how this new technology is related to processes of social interaction, privatism, and democratic engagement. Findings reveal that Internet use within public spaces affords interactions with existing acquaintances that are more diverse than those associated with mobile phone use. However, the level of colocated social diversity to which Internet users are exposed is less than that of most users of these spaces. Yet, online activities in public spaces do contribute to broader participation in the public sphere. Internet connectivity within public spaces may contribute to higher overall levels of democratic and social engagement than what is afforded by exposure within similar spaces free of Internet connectivity.

This paper analytically explores the recent rise of Internet use among American Muslims who are looking for marriage. Because American Muslims are a heterogeneous community consisting of individuals who, while confessing to a single article of faith, come from a plethora of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, finding a suitable mate within one's religious, cultural and emotional sphere has become a complex and, at times, problematic journey. As a result, American Muslims are increasing their use of the Internet to overcome existing spatial and cultural barriers. This paper introduces the background of the Islamic marriage tradition, examines American Muslims' marriage practices and then analysis how current online match-making sites are accommodating as well as challenging the American Muslim communities' traditional practices in matters of finding love and marriage partners.

Recent research at colleges and universities has suggested that some college students’ academic performance might be impaired by heavier use of the Internet. This study reviews the relevant literature and presents data from a survey of 572 students at a large public university. Heavier recreational Internet use was shown to be correlated highly with impaired academic performance. Loneliness, staying up late, tiredness, and missing class were also intercorrelated with self-reports of Internet-caused impairment. Self-reported Internet dependency and impaired academic performance were both associated with greater use of all Internet applications, but particularly with much greater use of synchronous communication applications such as chat rooms and MUDs, as opposed to asynchronous applications such as email and Usenet newsgroups.