An Investigation into the Different Use of the Internet by Students at Liverpool International College

An investigation into the different use of the Internet by students at Liverpool International College.

1.Introduction

We are living in an information-explosion era. In recent decades, Internet has been more reachable to people while quietly intergraded with life. The World Bank (2011) published that there were approximate 30.5% of people use Internet by the end of 2010, which was 20% more than that in 2002. The individuals use the equipment, such as mobile phone or laptop, to surf the Internet wherever they are and whenever possible. Besides, from my perspective, I'm a big fan of online shopping, and many people who around my age are also interested in using Internet and Internet shopping.

Undoubtedly, Internet plays an increasingly important role in people's daily life and social development. According to the statistics from Office of National Statistics (2011), 77% of families had Internet access in Britain. With the popularity and rapidly development of Internet, the study and work of human beings have been improved a lot. In other words, it has brought huge effect on people and society. This research is aimed at to understand the purpose of LIC students to use the Internet and explore the factors affect students to use Internet. Besides, to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of Internet use.

There are three research questions will be given in this research project: What reasons do students provide for use of the Internet in their daily life?

How do LIC students access the Internet? And has the Internet had a positive effect or negative? The hypothesis is that communication, such as chatting; or getting relax, such as playing online games and for the purpose of study. Those could be the most significant motivation that LIC students use the Internet. Furthermore, two main tools could be used to access the Internet around the campus: computers and mobile phones. Furthermore, nearly every LIC student uses the Internet for different purpose in different way, it could have more positive effect. This is really important that the Internet is necessary in our daily life. It makes the Internet is used fully for LIC student that investigating the motivation of using internet.

2.Literature review

According to the previous research, there are three main motivations that individuals use the Internet.

First of all, Internet is an intermediary of communication. The Pew center (2011) indicated that over 90% of Internet users liaise with others via Internet. Generally, Internet communication can be divided into three ways, which are word communication, voice communication and video communication (Mann&Stewart, 2000). Email, just as its name implies, is a type of the electronic letters and it is the most traditional and ordinary usage of the Internet that people can stay in touch (ibid). In recent decades, it has been gradually replaced by voice and video communication such as Skype, Facetime and MSN. Take Facetime for example, it makes it possible that the image is synchronized with sound when people are chatting. However, Internet provides a new way for communicating. Its high-efficiency, global, virtual are indispensable in modern society things (Kinney et al, 2009). On the contrary, Klotz (2004) point out that if take the Internet communication as a criminal means, then, will impose the serious consequences incalculable to the community. Actually, the information security system has been established to prevent those problems mentioned above. If relative institutions could strengthen the regulation and monitoring, those issues could be ignored (ibid).

Secondly, Internet provides a virtual platform for community. Rheingold (1993) defined the term virtual community for the first time. He stated that virtual community is a virtually social web of interpersonal relation. It breaks the shackles of region and government that many people who shared their hobbies, religion or occupation enter into a discussion, which makes them are familiar with each others. As a result, virtual community is gradually formed. Kim (2000) also pointed out that virtual community is a social aggregation, it can spread information rapidly and speak freely as well as lack of centralized control. There are a great many diverse types of virtual community, such as forum, online chat rooms and so on. Individuals can share and discuss