Transitions in everyday practice and Internet intensity

80f3085f-fbe3-4718-9510-91299f907212

Closed

EPSRC
EPSRC
EPSRC
EPSRC
EPSRC

No funds listed.

Sept. 30, 2016

March 31, 2020

The demand for digital devices and infrastructures is increasing by 7% per year; this is occurring alongside rising energy demand by consumer electronics, of which has increased by 74% from 1990 to 2014. Based on this, it is important to consider the social and environmental impacts of the ever-growing influence of digital devices and the Internet in everyday life. Real-time entertainment dominates peak period Internet traffic in Europe (41% fixed broadband, 33% mobile cellular) and other activities such as web browsing (17% fixed, 22% mobile), and social networking (9% fixed, 19% mobile), also contribute largely. However, no research has yet attempted to directly intervene with Internet use in everyday practices to reduce these digital demands and the associated energy consumption.

The proposed research aims to: 1) study home and mobile device network traffic to understand how it is used both spatially and temporally in everyday practice, and discover how this use supports people in meaningful ways, and 2) develop various interactive systems, to intervene with users' Internet demand, aiming to assist in adapting their everyday Internet activities in ways which positively impact the environment and society. To meet these aims, mixed method studies will be carried out within and around multiple UK homes, involving the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. This will involve deployments of home router and digital device logging software, the installation and use of an application on inhabitants' smart devices, and questionnaires, home-tours and semi structured video interviews with household members. By focusing on users' everyday practices, the study attempts to engage people in deep reflection on their Internet activities, helping people to take time away from technology. This reflection will also assist in uncovering what is negotiable in terms of the practices which users might perform differently, or those which are classed as "too important" for change in their everyday lives.

The information and interventions discovered within this project will be used to aid application developers and service providers, to support the effective design of applications and online services for more sustainable demand and energy consumption in the future.