Family Life in the Information Age
R. Gerald Hughes, Aaron T. Ebata, David C. Dollahite · Family Relations · 1999
Consider the term horseless carriage. Blindered by what came before them, the inventors of the automobile could not see the huge change it would have on how we work and play . . . We have a similar blindness today, because we just cannot imagine a world in which our sense of identity and community truly cohabitates the real and virtual realms. Negroponte 1998 Less than a decade ago the symbols http://www.ncfr.com would have been meaningless. Today, while not universally understood, these symbols can be found on billboards, magazines, television ads, and even on candy wrappers. These symbols describe a computer information transfer protocol that is at the heart of the World Wide Web. In 1990 Tim Berners-Lee offered a solution to one of the most vexing problems that he and his fellow physicists experienced in trying to work collaboratively across the world-they needed a simple way to share information and data among laboratories across the world who all had different types of computer hardware and software (Schatz & Hardin, 1994). Berners-Lee combined two ideas-networked information and hypertext that resulted in the World Wide Web. In 1993 the National Center for Supercomputing Applications released a graphical interface (a web browser) that would make it easy for computer users to use a mouse to point and click on words and images to navigate the World Wide Web (WWW). Since the introduction of this new information technology we have witnessed some remarkable social and technical changes. Political leaders have recommended that all the nation's schools be wired for the and WWW. Newsweek magazine declared 1995 the year of the Internet because of this technology's pervasive influence on cultural life (Levy, 1995). There are a variety of measures of the growth of the Internet. At present, it is estimated that 37% of households have computers and 19% are connected to the (NTIA, 1998). MIDS (1998) reports that the number of servers providing information has grown from less than 200,000 in 1990 to over 30 million in 1998. All of these numbers point to a similar conclusion that information technology has become increasingly part of everyday life for many people. As dramatic as the growth of computers and the is, it comes on top of other significant technology changes. It is estimated that 98% of American households have a television, 94% have a telephone, 81% have VCRs, 68% have cable television, 8% have satellite receivers, and 44% have cellular phones (Statistical Research, Inc., 1998; U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1997). In short, information technology has become a significant part of our family life. There are a variety of perspectives about the impact of information technology on family life. Some commentators emphasize the positive aspects of information technology on families and society, others are more cautious and note the negative impacts. Over the next two years this special section will explore conceptual, empirical, and applied perspectives on these matters. Here are four broad themes that will guide our exploration. Information Technology as a Cultural Issue The introduction of the and the World Wide Web into society provides a unique opportunity to explore the impact of technology on social life. At its most basic level it is important to track the demographic trends in this technology. Who is using this new technology? How are they using it? Who isn't using this technology and what are the factors that are influencing its adoption? In a recent study of use of information technology, researchers report the continued growth of the digital divide between the information rich and poor. The rural poor, rural and central city minorities, young households, and female-headed households are the most likely to not have access to information technology (NTIA, 1998). These are only a few of the issues that need attention in regards to information technology as a cultural issue. …