David SchlossbergMegan Finn

What is FreshQuest?

A study of Berkeley freshmen and how they use

technology to support their

social networks

Presentation Outline

• Methodology• Relevant Technologies• Research Findings

– Education– Relationships– Adoption– Negotiation

• Conclusions

Our Methodology

Survey● 152 snowball

responses ● 80 “random”

responses

Interviews● 22 from the

“random” group● 18 years old

Instant Messaging (IM)

Blogs

TextingText messaging or SMS

Social Networking Services

Student Tech Use Frequency

%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

IM Email Socialnetworking

service

Read blogs Texting Computergames

% o

f re

sp

on

da

nts

Daily Use

Weekly use

FreshQuest Findings

• Education

• Relationships

• Adoption

• Negotiation

EDUCATION – Group Work

Instead of calling everyone individually, you just send a mass

email to them. Usually we’ll plan to meet up at

a time and we’ll collaborate then.

- Sandra

EDUCATIONHelp From Classmates

If you work on assignments at 3:00 in the morning... you

can immediately talk to someone [on IM].

- Anita

EDUCATIONIn Class Etiquette

Me and my friend both had classes that we didn’t need to pay attention to at all. We text

messaged the entire time.- Jenny

FreshQuest Findings

• Education

• Relationships• Adoption

• Negotiation

The Relationship Spectrum

Intimate Business

All Conversations

RELATIONSHIPS Intimate

It’s pretty neat to be able to see [via webcam] my brother, my family twelve thousand miles away over the sea.

-Raj

RELATIONSHIPS Business

[For] something more serious and more businesslike, I will probably email them. It

feels more formal to email.

- Angus

RELATIONSHIPSFriends at UC

It’s just planning mostly… “Do you wanna go to [the cafeteria] after I get off of work?” or, “are you going to the concert on Saturday night?”

- Joan

RELATIONSHIPS Friends from high school

If I do talk to them [high school friends], I want it to be more interesting stuff. I wouldn't

say, “Oh, I showered this morning.” - Eve

FreshQuest Findings• Education

• Relationships

• Adoption

–Cost

–Motivation

–Patterns• Negotiation

ADOPTIONcost

I got a computer when I was five. We didn't have that much money… we lived in a little apartment and with a twin bed, and my

dad insisted on getting computer

-Kim

ADOPTIONpatterns

I get help from my brothers and pass on the information.

-Sandra

ADOPTIONchat rooms

At first, I didn't know a lot of people online. I would go in the chat room because I was bored.

I had this friend who I met through a chat room and we still sorta email.

-Eliza

ADOPTIONblogs

[Using blogs] depends on circles of friends, my roommate is really into blogs and she will update it several times a day, but then within my circle of

friends, we don’t really do that.

- Sarah

ADOPTIONblogs

I started Xanga in my senior year just because everyone else had it, but I don’t update like daily

like a lot of people.

-Erin

ADOPTIONIM - adoption of technology

My friends would talk about their conversations... I said, 'How did you guys know that?‘ …

Then they showed me how to download [AIM].

-Joe

ADOPTIONIM - adoption of a technology practice

You could talk to people [on AIM] and use abbreviations and cool little things.

The more you abbreviated, the cooler you were

-Joan

ADOPTIONvalue of email

Before I came to Berkeley I’d barely get email…Email is everything here…. I can email my GSIs

and they will get in touch me faster than if I called.

-Jenny

FreshQuest Findings• Education

• Relationships

• Adoption

• Negotiation

–Distracting

–“Always on”

–Addiction

–Turning it off

NEGOTIATION“always on”

This one guy on my floor pretty much stays in his room and stays on the computer all day.

-Raj

NEGOTIATIONstigma

I think it's kind looked down upon to ask for an AIM name to get a hold of someone that you're

just meeting.... It’s tied in with the thought of being on the computer all the time

-Luke

NEGOTIATIONdistracting, waste of time

I didn’t want a laptop because I feel like I would constantly be using it....

I see people use their laptops in classes… I just think that it is distracting

-James

NEGOTIATIONaddiction

I thought, ‘I need to stop using AIM.’ And I knew at that time I was kind of addicted to

it... Now I try not to [be online].

-Sandra

NEGOTIATIONturning it off

My boyfriend always says, ‘Why don't you take a cell phone with you?'

I don’t like being at everyone's beck and call, so I like to leave it behind.

-Laura

Findings

• Education

• Relationships

• Adoption

• Negotiation

Future work

• Video games

• Siblings

• Students from other schools

• Longer time frame

Special Thanks!

Peter Lyman, our advisorJudd Antin & Dave Hong

Alison BillingsJeff Towle

Gregg ThomsonMacArthur Foundation

and finallyAll the students who

participated in our study

Thank you for listening

http://freshquest.notlong.com