Early this afternoon, Eszter Hargittai of Northwestern University discussed "Digital Na(t)ives? Skill and Internet Use" as part of the Berkman Center's weekly luncheon discussion series. Based on a unique data set on young adults’ Internet uses, skills and participation, her talk looked at differences in daily digital media uses by type of user background. 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 considered the important mediating role of skill in what people do online.
Eszter Hargittai is Assistant Professor of Communication Studies and Sociology, and Faculty Associate of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University where she heads the Web Use Project. 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.
This event was webcast live. If you missed the live chat, catch the podcast audio & video at MediaBerkman. Also be sure to check out John Palfrey's comments on Eszter's lunch on his blog.