Understanding Internet Use

Interview Protocol

1. Tell me about the first time you used the internet. What did you think of it? Was it a good experience? Where did you use it?

2. Do you remember a time when you didn’t have the internet? How was your life changed since now?

3. How often do you use the internet? What applications do you use? What sites do you primarily visit? What do you use it for?

4. How does the internet affect your relationships?


Participant:

Kisha Janovsky, is the researcher’s twin sister and lives in Montgomery, MN. During high school, the researcher and Janovsky had similar classes, so for this assignment, the researcher wanted to understand Janovsky’s perception of the internet and how it may be different or similar to the researcher’s.

Procedure:

Kisha Janovsky was interviewed via phone on Sunday, September 27th at 9:15pm. The interview lasted around 30 minutes. For purposes of this assignment, the interview was not transcribed, but some quotations were typed verbatim. Because of the nature of the assignment, IRB permission was not necessary.

Janovsky’s experience with the internet has not changed much since the first time she used it in college. When she first experienced the internet, it was during her freshman year at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. She primarily used the internet for fun, particular using email. When she described her first experience using the internet, she said “It was like wow, this is really cool.” She remembers the internet being very slow, but that she could look at all the information she needed on the screen.

During these first years of using the internet, Janovsky remembers worrying about the accuracy of the information online. She was apprehensive about the information, and because of this, she still used books and other traditional sources to look up information. But, as she got more comfortable with the internet, she progressed to looking up all different types of information online.

Today, she feels comfortable using the internet in many different capacities and is constantly on the internet. In her job, she uses the internet to look up various venders and customers. Thus, she will use a Freight website, White and Yellow Pages, and Google. Among these uses, Janovsky also uses the internet for fun. She emails her friends and family all the time, and uses Facebook to stay in touch many of her friends from high school and college.

When asked how the internet has changed her relationships, Janovsky replied “I have better contacts with people. It’s a good thing.” There was a time when Janovsky did not have the internet at her house, and she felt disconnected from the world. She said, “I like the internet. It is something I use everyday and considering the time when I didn’t have it at home, it was very difficult. It was hard to keep in contact with people. I was missing it.”

Janovsky feels the internet has contributed greatly to her relationships, and she cannot even think about what life would be like without it. Janovsky said, “Now that you have the internet it is hard to be without it.” Although many years have passed since she first encountered the internet, the reasons why Janovsky goes online really have not. Janovsky may use the internet for her job, but she still primarily uses it to maintain personal relationships. When asked what she thinks of the internet, Janovsky exclaimed “It is awesome.”