ITR: HomeNetToo: Motivational, affective and cognitive factors and Internet use: Explaining the digital divide and the Internet paradox

HomeNetToo is a research project designed to address two fundamental questions: What causes people to use or not use the Internet? What effect does Internet use have on people? A model of Internet use is proposed that addresses these questions by considering motivational, affective, and cognitive factors as antecedents and consequences of Internet use. Participants in HomeNetToo will be low-income African American and European American families who will be introduced to the Internet as a communication tool or an information tool. On-line surveys and computer-logged measures of Internet use will be used to test hypotheses about the antecedents and consequences of Internet use over an 18-month trial. Relationships between cognitive style and interface design will also be examined. Results will have implications for how to reduce the digital divide, how to design user interfaces to accommodate diverse cognitive styles, and for identifying factors that influence whether Internet use will have desirable personal, social and professional consequences.