Pop Culture and the Internet Survey

Results from Internet Survey.

1) What is your Gender? (all results accounted)

23 Females
9 Males

Total Responses: 32

2) What is your Ethnicity? (all results accounted)
13 Hispanic
12 Caucasian
2 Asian
1 Mixed, Unspecified
1 Caucasian/Asian
1 Caucasian/Hispanic
1 American

Total Responses: 31

3) What is your Marital Status?

Single
37.5%, 12 individuals

In a Relationship
40.6%, 13 individuals

Married
15.6%, 5 individuals

Separated
3.1%, 1 individuals

Divorced
0.0%, 0 individuals

Widowed
0.0%, 0 individuals

Engaged
0.0%, 0 individuals

Other
3.1%, 1 individual

Total responses: 32

4) What is your yearly Household Income?

Under $20,000
41.9%, 13 individuals

$20,000 - $40,000
22.6%, 7 individuals

$40,000 - $60,000
16.1%, 5 individuals

$60,000 - $80,000
6.5%, 2 individuals

$80,000 - $100,000
3.2%, 1 individual

Over $100,000
9.7%, 3 individuals

Total Responses: 31

5) How often do you use the internet in a given week?

I never use the internet
0.0%, 0 individuals

once a week
0.0%, 0 individuals

two to three times per week
9.4%, 3 individuals

four to six times per week
9.4%, 3 individuals

seven to nine times per week
21.9%, 7 individuals

ten or more times per week
59.4%, 19 individuals

Total responses: 32

6) How often do you post on a discussion board or participate in a chat room?

I never participate in discussion boards or chat rooms
56.3%, 18 individuals

Once or twice a week
28.1%, 9 individuals

Three to five times per week
9.4%, 3 individuals

Six to nine times per week
3.1%, 1 individual

Ten or more times per week
3.1%, 1 individual

Total responses: 32

7) What networking site profiles (i.e. facebook, myspace, match.com) do you currently maintain and which do you use most often? (all results accounted)

26 Facebook Users
18 Myspace Users
3 Twitter Users
3 Livejournal users
1 eBlogger User

24 use Facebook most often
6 use Myspace more often
1 uses both Facebook and Myspace equally

Total Responses: 31

8) How often do you visit networking sites within a given week?

I do not use networking sites
9.4%, 3 individuals

once a week
9.4%, 3 individuals

two to three times per week
12.5%, 4 individuals

four to six times per week
21.9%, 7 individuals

seven to nine times per week
18.8%, 6 individuals

ten or more times per week
28.1%, 9 individuals

Total responses: 32

9) How many hours a week do you use the internet for leisure activity (including online video games)?

One hour or less
15.6%, 5 individuals

Two to five hours
40.6%, 13 individuals

Six to ten hours
15.6%, 5 individuals

Eleven to fifteen hours
15.6%, 5 individuals

Sixteen to twenty hours
6.3%, 2 individuals

More than twenty hours
6.3%, 2 individuals

Total responses: 32

10) How often do you use your cell phone or other electronic device other than a personal computer to access the internet?

None
53.1%, 17 individuals

Once a month or less
12.5%, 4 individuals

Once a week
0.0%, 0 individuals

Two or three times per week
0.0%, 0 individuals

Four or five times per week
9.4%, 3 individuals

Six or seven times per week
12.5%, 4 individuals

Other
12.5%, 4 individuals

Total responses: 32

11) What do you use the internet most for? (all results accounted)

11 Education most often
8 E-mail most often
5 Leisure activities most often
5 Communication most often
1 shopping most often
1 work most often
1 scheduling most often

Total Responses: 32

12) What website(s) do you visit most often? (all results accounted)

24 Social Netoworking Websites
16 Facebook.com
8 Myspace.com

6 Blogging Websites
3 Livejournal.com
2 Twitter.com
1 Tumblr.com

2 Abstain

10 Accredited University Websites

18 Search/Information Portals
9 Google.com
8 Yahoo.com
1 BBC.com

5 Streaming Video Portals
3 Youtube.com
2 Surfthechannel.com
1 Netflix.com

1 Automotive Website
1 RX8Club.com

4 Sports Websites
1 Skysports.com
1 Soccernet.com
1 Dodgers.com
1 Dodgerblues.com

5 News Websites
2 CNN.com
1 Guardian.co.uk
1 NYT.com
1 MSN.com

1 Gaming Website
1 Worldofsolitaire.com

1 Animal Website
1 Kalamazooanimalrescue.com

3 Celebrity News Websites
1 Radaronline.com
1 TMZ.com
1 Thedirty.com

1 Conspiracy Theory Website
1 Abovetopsecret.com

2 University email (umail)

1 Movie Website
1 IMDb.com

1 Internet Radio Website
1 Pandora.com

1 Banking Website

1 Work Website

1 Theater Website
1 Witchesofoz.com

1 Theme Park Website
1 Disneyland.com

13) Have you ever met someone in person that you have met online? If so, how many?

None
51.6%, 16 individuals

One
22.6%, 7 individuals

Two
16.1%, 5 individuals

Three
3.2%, 1 individual

Four
0.0%, o individuals

Five
0.0%, 0 individuals

More than five
6.5%, 2 individuals

Total responses: 31

14)Do you or have you had any online romantic relationships or romantic relationships that have started online, and if so, how many?

None
59.4%, 19 individuals

One
28.1%, 9 individuals

Two
6.3%, 2 individuals

Three
3.1%, 1 individual

Four
0.0%, 0 individuals

Five
0.0%, 0 individuals

More than five
3.1%, 1 individual

Total responses: 32

15)Have you ever had sex with someone you have met online? If so, how many?

None
81.3%, 26 individuals

One
12.5%, 4 individuals

Two
3.1%, 1 individual

Three
0.0%, 0 individuals

Four
0.0%, 0 individuals

Five
0.0%, 0 individuals

More than five
3.1%, 1 individual

Total Responses: 32


Interpretations of results:

The survey was small, only including 32 people. The survey was conducted online and therefore has some bias towards internet users. Those that do not have access to the internet are much less likely to take the survey than those who do. This needs to be taken into account in order to fully understand the results received. The survey website used was helpful, but lacked certain features of test taking. The largest problem I've faced using the website was the inability to see individual results in order to more fully refine the results into different demographics. This posed great problems if we would like to make connections between ethnicity, income, gender, website frequency, and relationship history. The survey was taken by 23 females and 9 males, making it even more difficult as a means of being a typical population of study. This gender imbalance possibly has something to with the audience of the survey, one being that females outnumber men in college. Most of the individuals were either Hispanic or Caucasian, which in some cases could be considered typical for a Southern California population. The household income data shows a definite gap between the lower and upper class, which is typical.

Of the 32 responses given for the frequency of internet use, there were no responses claiming to use the internet less than twice per week. The responses to ten or more times per week was the majority at 59 percent, followed by seven to nine time per week at 22 percent. Two to six times per week shared the same number of responses as both being approx. 9 percent with a combines total of 18 percent of the surveys taken. This question has some bias built into it since the survey was conducted online. The likelihood of someone using the internet once a week is slim if they are willing to participate in a survey at a university that is prone to have internet classes and projects. These answers demonstrate that the majority of internet users access the internet ten or more times a week, which must have great consequences to the pop culture ideas of those involved.

For question 6, 43.7 percent of individuals participated in discussion boards or chat rooms at least once per week, leaving 56.3 percent that do not participate. This data is one of the most interesting gathered. The popularity of interactive conversations online can have a tremendous affect on the pop culture of a community. One of the interesting aspects of popular culture on the internet is the ability to be heard on a subject without having to be a part of a publication. It also gives access to a much wider audience that is able to participate in a conversation. The free flow of thought without censorship in many cases is attractive to the spread of information.

Question 7 was a key to understanding the frequency of social networking sites. With the data collected, we see that there are 26 facebook accounts to 18 myspace accounts. What was interesting about these results was the second answer to the question about which networking site they use most often. Out of 30 people, 24 would use facebook most often compared to only 6 of myspace. This shows that many people maintain both a facebook and a myspace simultaneously, but the preference by far is facebook.

Questions 8 through 10 are concerned with how often the participants use the internet in a given week. Question 8 deals with how often social networking sites are visited. A majority of the surveys indicate that they visit four or more times per week. Question 9 is concerned with how many hours per week the internet is used for leisure activities. The number peaks between 2 to 6 hours per week, tapering off as the number of hours increase. For question 10, the answers set by the question have a problem, which led it to be inconclusive in a way. Instead of writing up the question with an answer of more than seven times per week, I accidentally wrote it with an option of other. With the data collected though, we find that a majority do not use a cell phone or other device, but for those who do, we see that checking the internet in such a way becomes a habit. Questions 11 and 12 set out to answer the question of what do people use the internet most for and what website types are used most often. Education and email are used most often, followed by leisure and communication. The most common websites to be visited are social networking websites such as facebook and myspace. Internet portals such as google and yahoo were ranked second. 51 percent have never met someone in person that they've met online, leaving approx 49 percent that have. Over 40 percent of individuals have had a romantic relationship that has formed online. Approximately 19 percent of individuals have had sex with someone they have met online. This data is one of the most important collected in the study.


Conclusion:


The internet is different than anything that has ever been created before. It has had a tremendous impact on the daily life of individuals around the world. A great amount of its impact can be seen in the popular culture of many communities. Myspace, Facebook, and other web communities have already changed the way one stays in contact with their social network. Access to information on music, movies, and celebrities has never been more convenient. Popular streaming web portals such as youtube are even creating celebrities like, "David on Drugs," and, "Leroy Jenkins." The internet also allows for the creation of personal web sites with international access, like Maddox's, "The Best Page in the Universe." Celebrities at the center of pop culture are using Twitter as a gateway to their fans and supporters, most notably Ashton Kutcher and Al Gore. The data gathered about the frequency of visiting networking sites and the content of those networking sites indicate that pop culture and the internet are as tied together as celebrity magazines and celebrities.

Dating has even become common place in the online community and is pushing its way into the mainstream. It is not uncommon today to meet someone off of the internet. As a matter of fact, I've met my girlfriend of five years on the internet. The survey shows that there is an increasing amount of people looking to get in a relationship online. Of the 31 people who answered question 13, 15 said yes to meeting someone in person whom they've met online, which is almost half of all surveys taken. If we consider the answers to question 14 and 15, we can see a pattern. In question 14, we ask if they have had any romantic relationships that have started online. Of the 32 responses, 19 said they have not, where 13 said that they have. Now in comparison to question thirteen, of the 15 people who have met people in person from online, 13 of which claim to have had a romantic relationship online. This shows that out of all people who have met someone, 87% of all cases have been romantic. To meet people online in person, the main incentive is to have a romantic relationship. When we consider question 15, of the 15 people who have met someone in person that they have met online, 6 have has sexual relations with a person they've met online. These three questions demonstrate the frequency of online dating and online hook-ups.

Pop culture is getting more and more wired with each passing day. The use of networking sites by businesses and celebrities has become typical. The use of the internet as a tool of dating has also risen, making it's way into the pop culture scene with websites like Match or eHarmony. The internet has created a pop culture community all in its own, with celebrities, information, and style. Robinson's article considers the third wave of technology coming to light with the implementation of multiple gadgets, notably the iPhone, the Blackberry, and the new flat screen televisions. These gadgets are now being implemented with internet technology, allowing access of the internet almost anywhere in the world, further dominating the time of the population. The use of these gadgets for the internet is further proven as uncommon by question 10 of the survey. Carstarphen's article can also be applied to the questions regarding which internet websites are used most frequently. Facebook and Myspace being the most common in the survey, it shows the vast amount of control over the internet's pop culture those websites have. It would also be wise to consider the amount of ad space utilized in such websites, swaying the population to buy goods and services. There may be a few independent sources on the internet, but these networking sites are controlling fractions the population with it's services. Pop Culture today is in many cases dependent on the internet for it's shape and widespread ideals. We are living in an age where you could live in the outback of Australia and still be able to talk to a person you've never met in France. In developed countries, pop culture is the internet.
-- Joshua Winn