Living Offline - A Qualitative Study of Internet Non-Use in Great Britain and Sweden

Abstract

This study explores and compares attitudes and feelings of middle-aged British and Swedish Internet non-users as well as their reasons for being offline. The rich qualitative data are conceptualized and presented according to various reasons for non-use, positive and negative feelings regarding non-use, and the positive as well as negative influence of and dependence on social networks. The comparison shows both unique and common perceptions of the British and Swedish respondents, some of which can be attributed to social, economic, or socio-economic factors. However, it also displays vast differences between middle-aged nonusers in both countries. The analysis paints a complex picture of decisions for and against the use of the Internet and the need for more research to understand these highly complex phenomena, which cannot simply be attributed to socio-economic backgrounds as has been done in most previous research. The analysis shows that more complex reasons, such as lack of interest or discomfort with technologies, as well as the somewhat surprising finding that social networks can prevent non-users from learning how to use the Internet, as it is more convenient to stay a proxy-user, should be considered in future research and policies regarding digital inequalities.1

Characterizing the Digital Health Citizen: Mixed-Methods Study Deriving a New Typology (Preprint)

“…We do this by identifying antecedent factors around individuals' motivations (their attitudes and desire to use health information from online sources) and enablers (their ability and interest in accessing the internet, and making sense of the information found). This is in line with various studies which found that antecedent factors must be incorporated when analysing internet use [19,20], in particular with respect to individuals' motivations and enablers [3]. Motivations and enablers form a complex relationship with how individuals obtain outcomes online: attitudes, awareness of technology, desire for information, job requirements, skills, and social contacts shape how individuals use technology, and what they need to get out of it -and the outcomes they obtain in turn shape their future expectations towards use [17,18].…”

Digital inequality in Mexico: an analysis of the reasons for non-access and non-use of the internet

“…Al respecto, Helsper y Reisdorf (2017) analizan las razones de la no utilización de internet en Suecia y Gran Bretaña, y encuentran que los no usuarios se concentran en los grupos más vulnerables, por lo que las intervenciones deben enfocarse en ellos, considerando su contexto local. De igual forma, Reisdorf et al (2016) explora, a través de un análisis cualitativo, las actitudes y sentimientos de los no usuarios británicos y suecos de mediana edad; sus resultados muestran que la falta de interés en las TIC es una de las principales razones para no utilizar las tecnologías digitales.…”

Inattentive, imprudent and inapt: discovering inadequacies of ICT during life-changing events through the lens of non-users

“…More recent studies demonstrate that interconnected reasons and attitudes can lead to a behaviour of non-use (e.g. trust in ISPs) (Bandura 1994;Hargittai 2003;Cushman and Klecun 2006;van Deursen and van Dijk 2011;Reisdorf, Axelsson, and Söderholm 2012). A consistent conclusion is that complex relations exist between these elements; though most studies occurred under a utilitarian goal of turning non-users into compliant adapters.…”