Research

The Oxford Internet Institute is a research department of the University of Oxford, focusing on the social implications of the Internet and other advanced ICTs. Our multidisciplinary research faculty include political scientists, sociologists, lawyers, and economists who are engaged in a variety of research projects covering the themes of: Everyday Life, Governance and Democracy, Network Economy, Science and Learning and Shaping the Internet. One of our key missions is to stimulate and inform debate about the Internet, and to shape policy and practice around its (re)invention and use.

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Top story: Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS) 2011 Data Released: 44% of British Internet Users Are "Next Generation Users"

Top story: Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS) 2011 Data Released: 44% of British Internet Users Are

The latest OxIS Report "Next Generation Users: The Internet in Britain 2011" (PDF, 3.1MB) describes how Internet access, use and attitudes have evolved over almost a decade (see the 2011 topline findings). The 2011 survey suggests that about 44% of British Internet users can be classed as "next generation users" (NGUs), people who routinely access the Internet through an increasing number of devices, including mobile devices like smart-phones, tablets, and readers (see graph). In terms of their behaviour, NGUs integrate the Internet extensively into their everyday lives, are more likely to be content producers, and tend to be positive about technology. They also rate themselves as having a high political efficacy: given these people are better able to make their voices heard on the Internet, they will probably be particularly influential in policy debates in the coming years. OxIS shows that NGUs are not simply young people: this new type of access and behaviour is actually strongly related to income, perhaps unsurprising given the expense of many devices. The least likely to be NGUs include the unemployed, the retired, and those with lower incomes. This suggests we might be seeing the start of a new digital divide emerging in Britain, reflective of more than just access to the Internet. While there is anecdotal evidence that these trends are being repeated elsewhere, this is pioneering research by the Oxford Internet Surveys (OxIS), and similar studies have not yet been done in other countries.

  • New OII Project on Big Data

    A new OII project using big data for social science research aims to increase visibility, accessibility, and ease-of-use of the JISC UK Web Domain Dataset, a 30 terabyte web archive of the .uk country-code top level domain (ccTLD).

  • Globalization vs Tradition?

    Mark Graham's paper: Perish or Globalise, on network integration and the reproduction and replacement of weaving traditions in the Thai silk industry, has just been published in ACME: Journal of Critical Geographies.

  • University Outreach Awards

    We have launched a competition to find the most innovative outreach and public engagement activities carried out by European universities. The three winning entries will each receive a 5000 EUR prize (deadline: 15 March 2012).

  • Scientists: Conservatives?

    "although physical scientists have led the way in using computers to analyse data, they are still fairly conservative when it comes to adopting new communications technologies": Recent OII work is covered by Physics World.

  • PASC Report: Government / IT

    The Commons Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) publishes its report on Government and IT that insists Government has still to address the challenges of "intelligent" procurement. Helen Margetts was an expert witness.

  • Physical Scientists at Work

    How do physical scientists use online information, resources, and services to support their research? Eric Meyer and Monica Bulger are authors on RIN's new report on Information Practices in the Physical Sciences (SSRN).

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Last updated on: 28 March 2011