Vicki Lundmark

Bio: Vicki Lundmark is an academic researcher from American Institutes for Research. The author has contributed to research in topics: The Internet & Social relation. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 4 publications receiving 4113 citations. Previous affiliations of Vicki Lundmark include Carnegie Mellon University.

Internet paradox: A social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological well-being?

Abstract: The Internet could change the lives of average citizens as much as did the telephone in the early part of the 20th century and television in the 1950s and 1960s. Researchers and social critics are debating whether the Internet is improving or harming participation in community life and social relationships. This research examined the social and psychological impact of the Internet on 169 people in 73 households during their first 1 to 2 years on-line. We used longitudinal data to examine the effects of the Internet on social involvement and psychological well-being. In this sample, the Internet was used extensively for communication. Nonetheless, greater use of the Internet was associated with declines in participants' communication with family members in the household, declines in the size of their social circle, and increases in their depression and loneliness. These findings have implications for research, for public policy and for the design of technology.

Troubles with the internet: the dynamics of help at home

Abstract: Despite advances in technology, nearly everyone experiences technical challenges using home computers and the Internet. In a field trial of household Internet usage, 89% of 93 families needed support from a computer help desk in the 1st year they used the Internet. However, usually only the most technically involved members of the family requested external technical support, and this behavior was associated with other computer-related behaviors in the household. We explore the process by which a family member with comparatively high technical skill or enthusiasm, often a teenager, becomes the family guru, makes external support requests, and becomes the person in the family to whom others turn for technical help. The family guru benefits from this role, influences the household's adoption of technology, and represents an important link between households and computer support professionals. The role also is a fascinating example of the evolution of intergeneration relationships.

Usability, help desk calls, and residential Internet usage

Abstract: For the average person, the Internet is still too hard to use. We report evidence from HomeNet, a field trial in Pittsburgh that tries to understand how people use the Internet. Despite our reducing technological and economic barriers to use, families had problems connecting and using the Internet. We show that help calls, however, are not a good indicator of usability, since it is the “enthusiasts” and people with instrumental tasks to accomplish who call. INTRODUCTION Like the telephone and television before it, household computing has the potential to change how average people live. In the field of HCI, it is now generally accepted that designers, developers, educators, and managers should understand how people use technology in the context of their daily lives. However, as yet there are few systematic reports in the literature about on-going residential use of home computing. HomeNet is a field trial at Carnegie Mellon University that tries to understand people’s use of the Internet. We are carefully documenting how members of households use on-line services such as electronic mail, computerized bulletin boards, on-line chat groups, and the World Wide Web. This report describes usability problems we have observed in the first sample of 48 families with teenagers (133 individuals). In the HomeNet field trial, we attempted to overcome economic and technological barriers to use. We provided each family with a Macintosh computer with 14.4 kbps modem connected to a dedicated telephone line. Each family member above age 8 received a full Internet account. All computers included a turnkey system for access to the entire Internet and included software for using electronic mail, newsgroups, the World Wide Web, MUDS, and special HomeNet chat newsgroups. Our software configuration allowed family members to use Internet services without learning the details of any operating system. They also Permission 10 make digilahlmrd copies of al I or pml of this material for personal or clzssroom use is granted without fee provided that the copies are not made or distitsuted for profit or commercial ?dvzu)Llge, the copyright notice. the title of the publication and its date appear, and notice is received approximately three hours of training. Support was provided through a help newsgroup, and a telephone help desk staffed by college students. Sample characteristics Our sample was recruited through the high schools of four demographically diverse neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In each school, we approached students who worked on the school newspaper and their families, as well as at least one journalism teacher and that teacher’s family. The common bond of journalism gave students from different schools something to discuss as we put the project on-line. The HomeNet sample, although not a representative sample of the US, is demographically more diverse than current Internet users. Fifty-seven percent are female; 4290 are teens; 24% are members of minority groups; and 25% have household incomes less than the median US household income. Our earlier research [1] documented that in 1995, before participants in our sample had actually used the Internet, they reported positive attitudes towards the Internet but only vague ideas of what it would be good for. A large minority did not know what downloading or email was. Given their vague beliefs and knowledge, it is probably not surprising that many had difficulty getting started. We expected that people with more computer skill and motivation would be likelier to overcome these difficulties, and would, in turn, be more likely to use the Internet frequently. However, we thought that as everyone learned how to use the computer and what the Internet could do for them, computer skill would predict Internet usage less well. We were wrong. Even after a year of experience with the Internet, computer skill still predicted Internet usage significantly. This result held true across different gender and age groups WHAT WENT WRONG There is strong qualitative and quantitative evidence that some members of most of the families had given that copyright is by permission of the ACM, inc. To copy otherwise, to republish. to post on servers or m redistribute to lists. requirm specific

Establishing a Pathway to Excellence® Research Agenda

Abstract: OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to develop research priorities for positive practice environments identified by Pathway to Excellence® (Pathway) leaders and appraisers. BACKGROUND Identifying research priorities achieves 2 goals: 1) advancing research agendas that impact improving practice environments, and nurse and patient outcomes; and 2) informing nursing leaders, researchers, and funders of potential research projects to conduct and support. METHODS Research topics related to the 6 Pathway standards were developed and then rated for importance through 3 rounds of a Delphi survey by leaders at Pathway-designated organizations and Pathway appraisers. RESULTS Twenty research priorities were identified from the initial 54 research topics. The top 2 priorities were building and maintaining shared governance participation (91.9%) and nurse participation in performance improvement and evidence-based practice activities (90.7%). CONCLUSIONS Establishing a Pathway research agenda will guide nursing leadership, researchers, and funders in selecting impactful research priorities to help bolster positive practice environments that engage and empower nurses.

The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom

Abstract: With the radical changes in information production that the Internet has introduced, we stand at an important moment of transition, says Yochai Benkler in this thought-provoking book. The phenomenon he describes as social production is reshaping markets, while at the same time offering new opportunities to enhance individual freedom, cultural diversity, political discourse, and justice. But these results are by no means inevitable: a systematic campaign to protect the entrenched industrial information economy of the last century threatens the promise of today's emerging networked information environment. In this comprehensive social theory of the Internet and the networked information economy, Benkler describes how patterns of information, knowledge, and cultural production are changing--and shows that the way information and knowledge are made available can either limit or enlarge the ways people can create and express themselves. He describes the range of legal and policy choices that confront us and maintains that there is much to be gained--or lost--by the decisions we make today.

Should we trust web-based studies? A comparative analysis of six preconceptions about internet questionnaires.

Abstract: The rapid growth of the Internet provides a wealth of new research opportunities for psychologists. Internet data collection methods, with a focus on self-report questionnaires from self-selected samples, are evaluated and compared with traditional paper-and-pencil methods. Six preconceptions about Internet samples and data quality are evaluated by comparing a new large Internet sample (N = 361,703) with a set of 510 published traditional samples. Internet samples are shown to be relatively diverse with respect to gender, socioeconomic status, geographic region, and age. Moreover, Internet findings generalize across presentation formats, are not adversely affected by nonserious or repeat responders, and are consistent with findings from traditional methods. It is concluded that Internet methods can contribute to many areas of psychology.

Is There Social Capital in a Social Network Site?: Facebook Use and College Students' Life Satisfaction, Trust, and Participation

Abstract: This study examines if Facebook, one of the most popular social network sites among college students in the U.S., is related to attitudes and behaviors that enhance individuals' social capital. Using data from a random web survey of college students across Texas (n = 2,603), we find positive relationships between intensity of Facebook use and students' life satisfaction, social trust, civic engagement, and political participation. While these findings should ease the concerns of those who fear that Facebook has mostly negative effects on young adults, the positive and significant associations between Facebook variables and social capital were small, suggesting that online social networks are not the most effective solution for youth disengagement from civic duty and democracy.