Projects

Using Time Use Data to Analyse Macro and Microsocial Change in an E-society

Summary

This project will use current and historical time use data to test the thesis that the increasing pervasiveness of new media, and specifically information and communication technologies (ICTs) is creating a significantly new society.
The project will focus on possible changes in 5 sociological issues (social life, leisure, travel, shopping and media use) and 3 overarching issues (polychronicity [multitasking], heterogeneous time [sequences of activities] and geographical mobility [where activities take place]).

The project will address this in two ways:

1. historical comparative analysis- the project will analyse patterns of time use at the population level across a number of countries from the 1960s up to 2002 using a historical harmonised multi-country time-use dataset. If society is changing as a result of the increased uptake and use of ICTs then this should be detectable through changes in the 5 activities described and in the patterns of polychronicity, heterogeneity and geographical mobility.
2. Longitudinal analysis - the project will analyse the extent to which the use of ICTs produces changes in individual's everyday time use. Some researchers have claimed that Internet use decreases sociability whilst others find the reverse. Ignoring the gross over-simplification of the 'impact' model, nearly all studies with few exceptions have used cross-sectional data to infer causal relationships. In contrast we will use UK and European longitudinal data to understand if and how people's lives change as they adopt and use ICTs and whether such changes are evenly distributed. As before we will focus on analysing change in the 5 sociological and 3 overarching issues identified.
   The project will provide the e-Society debate with empirical analysis in a historical and multi-national context. It will improve understanding of the implications of ICT uptake for social life, travel, leisure commerce and media use. This is likely to have an impact across a range of academic, policy (social capital/cohesion, transport, leisure, consumption and quality of life) and commercial (social software, telecommunications, retailing, media revenue models) contexts in the immediate and longer term future.

By developing longitudinal models of time use elasticities, this project will generate analysis which industry can use to refine (or even refute) their current business models. It will be able to show, for example, which groups of people seem most likely to convert 'TV time' into 'Internet time' or convert portions of 'shopping time' into 'e-shopping time' and how great this effect is likely to be. Spatial and temporal time use is critical to understanding potential future markets {or mobile and location-based information and communication services.

These ICT stakeholders need to know how daily activities might change in the future in order to assess potential markets, profits and social outcomes. It is in providing insights into future possibilities through comparative analysis and through understanding what is likely to change and what is not that this project will generate significant value.

Perhaps most importantly it will provide an empirically based analysis of the supposedly revolutionary nature of e-social change thus potentially challenging the perceived wisdom of the 'information age' through what we believe will be novel and unique empirical analysis.

The project starts in January 2005 and lasts for 24 months during which it will produce a range of reports and paper. It will also hold three research seminars to further disseminate its results.

For more information please see:
http://www.essex.ac.uk/chimera/projects/esoctu/

Papers

Anderson, B. (2005). An Ethologist’s Dream. Workshop on Technology, Time and Everyday Life, November 25 th 2005 , Oxford Internet Institute .

Anderson, B., Partridge, C., and Stoneman, P. (2006) E-Society Past, Present and Future: Looking back to look forwards. Paper presented at the e-Society Programme Conference, York, 19th September 2006

Anderson, B. (2006). Looking back to look forwards in time. ippr/Chimera workshop: Reshaping Everyday Life? The impact of new technologies on citizens' time, ippr, London, November 21, 2006, ippr.

Anderson, B. (2006). Time in Space in an E-Society. ippr/Chimera workshop: Reshaping Everyday Life? The impact of new technologies on citizens' time, ippr, London, November 21, 2006, ippr.

Lesnard, L (2005) Social Change, Daily Life and the Internet, Chimera/ISER Working Paper 2005-07, Colchester, University of Essex. (pdf)

Lesnard, L (2005) Social Change, Daily Life and the Internet, Chimera/ISER Working Paper 2005-07, Colchester, University of Essex.

Partridge, C., Stoneman, P., & Anderson, B (2005) Internet Time and Social Activities, 2005 International Association of Time Use Researchers Conference, November 2-4, 2005, Halifax, Nova Scotia. (pdf)

Partridge, C (2005) The effect of ICT on aspects of time use: A review, Chimera Working Paper 2005-05, Colchester, University of Essex.

Partridge, C. (2006). Millenium multitasking. ippr/Chimera workshop: Reshaping Everyday Life? The impact of new technologies on citizens' time, ippr, London, November 21, 2006, ippr.

Stoneman, P. (2006) After the Results...Faith: The pursuit of internet effects. Paper presented at 'The Internet in Britain: Statistical Analyses', London School of Economics and Political Science, 29th November 2006.

Stoneman, P. (2006). Civic Time Use of Citizens: Comparing Britain's civic culture. ippr/Chimera workshop: Reshaping Everyday Life? The impact of new technologies on citizens' time, ippr, London, November 21, 2006, ippr.

Stoneman, P. (2006) Exploring time use - "web-use and net-nerds", Paper presented at the 2006 International Association of Time Use Researchers Conference, Copenhagen, 16-18 August, 2006

Stoneman, P. (2006) Exploring time use: a methodological response to "web-use and net-nerds", Chimera Working Paper 2006-11. Ipswich: University of Essex.

Stoneman, P. (2007) Exploring time use: a methodological response to "web-use and net-nerds", Information Communication & Society, To appear.