Social influence and Internet use

Examines social influences on Internet use and training based primarily on the results of longitudinal research with adult Internet trainees in Iceland. The authors briefly discuss the theoretical context before outlining the research and its findings. Social influences included the effect of family and friends, employers, professional colleagues, the media, and a general sense that, increasingly, “everybody” is expected to be able to use the Internet. In this context, librarians and the managers of libraries and information services are experts who are best placed to exert their influence on attitudes to the Internet by providing recommendations, demonstrations, and training about the Internet as a source of information and knowledge.