ISI 5101: Final Research Proposal

Computer Education Workshops About Facebook at OPL and Senior Citizens

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Problem Statement

“The goal of this study is to investigate the impact of computer education workshops at the Ottawa Public Library on the awareness of selected groups of senior citizens regarding the disclosure of personal information on Facebook.”

Introduction

Some prior research regarding seniors and social media

Plan to address gaps Some information about seniors and the Internet Little information about seniors and social

media No information about library education programs and seniors' information literacy

Potential Benefits

Provide more information about onlinebehaviour of this demographic Educational programs can be tailored to

their needs and interests Beneficial for the promotion of library services

Definitions

Personal data: Information about an individual person, such as name, social security number, age, occupation, marital status, etc. (Reitz)

Senior citizen: An elderly person who may require special assistance in accessing and using the facilities, services, and collections of a library (Reitz); individuals aged 65 and over (Turcotte & Schellenberg)

Definitions (cont'd)

Social media: An electronic service (usually Web-based) designed to allow users to establish a personal or organizational profile and contact other individuals for the purpose of communicating, collaborating, and/or sharing content with them … Examples include Bebo, Facebook, Twitter (Reitz)

Literature Review: Brabazon

Discusses “digital divide” Will engaging seniors in Internet usage

help to ease isolation? Governments need to decide role in

promoting information literacy for seniors Municipal governments?

Focuses on Australia Did not discuss what government role

should be

Literature Review: Hogeboom, et al.

Examined impact of Internet/social media usage on relationships of older adults (50+)

Conclusion: positive impact, prevents isolation American, focuses on African-Americans,

Hispanics, and residents of Florida Good general idea of how older adultsinteracting

Literature Review: Lehtinen, Nasanen, & Sarvas

Examined how small sample group (4 men, 4 women, aged 58-66) used Finnish networking site Netlog

Main concerns for older users: privacy, lack of confidence

Suggested new social networking site for older adults with real-life social events for promotion

Impact of library programs?

Literature Review: Pew Research Center

Proportion of Americans 65+ who use Internet is steadily increasing

Main barriers: lack of knowledge/experience/interest, age-related physical disabilities (i.e. vision)

Enthusiastic when accustomed Some limitations on interview questions

Non-responses allowed

Study Framework

Brabazon: digital divide Hogeboom, et al.: increased isolation for older

adults Pew Research Center: reservations due to lack

of knowledge/experience/interest, age-related physical disabilities

Lehtinen, Nasanen, & Sarvas: real-life events could lead to increased usage of social media

Study Framework (cont'd)

Theory: library programs (real-life events) could have positive impact on seniors' information literacy

Reduce concerns through education Lessen digital divide

Examine Ottawa Public Library's “Techno Buddies” program

Methodology: Interviews

Little to no research, not much known about demographic (Beck & Manuel, 2008, 77)

Structured interviews = quantitative Interview schedule (5-8 questions with

predetermined responses) Unstructured portion = qualitative

Discussion about user experience Unbiased sample with low margin for error Triangulation

Methodology: Content Analysis

Used to examine large quantity of transcribed interview data

Quantitative Word count (structured interview)

Qualitative Coding to look for meaning (unstructured)

Inter-rater reliability

Time Frame

Interviews: at least 3-4 months Coordinating schedules Unstructured portion will take more time Transcribe data

Content analysis: at least 6 months Quantitative and qualitative Coding

Works Cited

Beck, S.E. & Manuel, K. (2008). Practical research methods for library and information professionals. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.

Brabazon, T. (5 December 2005). From Eleanor Rigby to Nannanet: The greying of the World Wide Web. First Monday, 10(12).

Works Cited (cont'd) Hogeboom, D.L. et al. (January 2010). Internet

use and social networking among middle aged and older adults. Educational Gerontology, 36(2).

Lehtinen, V., Nasanen, J., & Sarvas, R. (2009). “A little silly and empty-headed”: Older adults' understandings of social networking sites. People and Computers XXIII – Celebrating People and Technology.

Ottawa Public Library. (2012). Library programs. Retrieved from: http://biblioottawalibrary.ca/en/main/program

Works Cited (cont'd)

Pew Research Center. (28 March 2004). Older Americans and the Internet. Retrieved from: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2004/Older-Americans-and-the-Internet.aspx

Reitz, J.M. (2012). Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science. Retrieved from: http://www.abc-clio.com/ODLIS/odlis_p.aspx

Turcotte, M. & Schellenberg, G. Statistics Canada. (2007). A Portrait of Seniors in Canada: An Introduction.