Media Access: Social and Psychological Dimensions of New Technology Use

by Bucy,Erik P.; Bucy,Erik P.

• ISBN13: 9780805841107
• ISBN10: 0805841105
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2003-11-01
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

In Media Access: Social and Psychological Dimensions ofNew Technology Use,editors Erik P. Bucy and John E. Newhagen present the latest work, theoretical explorations, and original research findings on media access from a team of internationally renowned media and technology researchers. Chapters develop expanded definitions and conceptual understandings of access to stimulate further research, offer new perspectives on policy discussions, and facilitate media participation among those at risk of being left behind. Broadening our understanding of information technology use, this collection offers: *Novel perspectives--chapters demonstrate new methods of addressing persistent questions regarding motivation, cultural context, socioeconomic resources, technical knowledge, and psychological skills required for effectual use of information and communication technologies. *Conceptual integration--each chapter addresses a vital aspect of media access and summarizes pertinent findings, weaving together results to provide much-needed integration across communication and technology studies. *Multidisciplinary approaches--chapters represent a variety of conceptual and methodological approaches, deriving social explanations from large-scale survey data, psychological explanations from experimental data, and cultural explanations from depth interviews and ethnographic methods. *Shifting the policy and research agenda--this volume extends and redirects aspects of the digital divide debate while elaborating the "media access" approach to studying new technology use. Taken as a whole,Media Accessreveals complications associated with full access to new communication technologies and proposes analytical frameworks that open new avenues of scholarly investigation and policy consideration. It is intended for scholars and graduate students in journalism, mass communication, telecommunications, media studies, information science, public policy, psychology, sociology, informatics, human-computer interaction, and other disciplines concerned with the issue of media access.

Table of Contents

Preface: The New Thinking About Media Access	ix
Part I: Introduction
Routes to Media Access	3	(24)
John E. Newhagen
Erik P. Bucy
Part II: Psychological Dimensions of Media Access
Cognitive Access to New and Traditional Media: Evidence from Different Strata of the Social Order	27	(20)
Maria Elizabeth Grabe
Rasha Kamhawi
The Interactivity Paradox: Closer to the News but Confused	47	(26)
Erik P. Bucy
Avoiding Computers: Does Personality Play a Role?	73	(18)
Seth Finn
Appa Rao Korukonda
Social and Psychological Influences on Computer User Frustration	91	(16)
Katherine Bessiere
Irina Ceaparu
Jonathan Lazar
John Robinson
Ben Shneiderman
Part III: Social and Cultural Dimensions of Media Access
Communities, Cultural Capital, and the Digital Divide	107	(24)
Viviana Rojas
Joseph Straubhaar
Debasmita Roychowdhury
Ozlem Okur
Reducing Barriers to Access via Public Information Infrastructure: The LaGrange Public Internet Initiative	131	(24)
Jan Youtie
Philip Shapira
Greg Laudeman
Home Internet Use in Low-Income Families: Is Access Enough to Eliminate the Digital Divide?	155	(32)
Linda A. Jackson
Gretchen Barbatsis
Frank A. Biocca
Alexander von Eye
Yong Zhao
Hiram E. Fitzgerald
Part IV: Media Access to the Public Sphere
Conceptual Elasticity of the Public Sphere: Tracking Media and Psychological Determinants of Access	187	(20)
Johnette Hawkins McCrery
John E. Newhagen
The Skills and Motivations of Interactive Media Participants: The Case of Political Talk Radio	207	(26)
C. Richard Hofstetter
Divides in Succession: Possession, Skills, and Use of New Media for Societal Participation	233	(22)
Jan van Dijk
Universal Usability: Pushing Human--Computer Interaction Research to Empower Every Citizen	255	(14)
Ben Shneiderman
Part V: Conclusions and Connections
Integrating the Research on Media Access: A Critical Overview	269	(10)
Leah A. Lievrouw
About the Contributors	279	(6)
Author Index	285	(8)
Subject Index	293