Internet Studies:The Foundations of a Transformative Field

Bill DuttonOxford Internet Institute (OII)

University of Oxfordwww.ox.ac.uk

Presentation for Students and Faculty, Lisbon University Institute, Lisbon, Portugal, 10 April 2013.

Emergence of a Transitional Field

Objects of Internet Study

Questions About Technology, Use, and Policy

Technology Use (Context) Policy

Who shapes? Who shapes design and implementa-tion?

Who uses (does not use) in what ways?

Who shapes law and policy?

Why? (structures, cultures, … shaping choice)

What goals and objectives drive design development

Why such patterns in particular contexts?

Their goals and objectives?

With what implications for whom?

Do technical designs bias use and impacts?

Do patterns of use support different aims/groups?

How is evolving ecology of law and policy shaping design and use?

Competing Perspectives on the Field

Two Conceptions of Internet Studies

A Transformative Field

The Future of Internet Studies

Number and Proportion of Internet Users by Region

Source: Internet World Stats- www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm. Penetration rates are based on a world population of 6,930,055,154 and 2,267,233,742 estimated Internet users for December 31, 2011.

Internet Studies

• 2000: Lawrence, Kansas, 200 participants

• 2013: Worldwide Diffusion and Increasing Significance with a Growing Number of Centres for Teaching and Research

Internet Studies

• Dutton, W. H. (2013), ‘Internet Studies’ in Dutton, W. H. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Internet Studies. Oxford University Press http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2231188

• Peng, T. Q., Zhu, J. J. H., Zhang, L., & Zhong, Z. J. (2012). “Mapping the Landscape of Internet Research: Text Mining of Social Science Journal Articles 2000–2009,” New Media & Society. DOI: 10.1177/1461444812462846.