:: Netwoman ::

:: Sunday, July 31, 2005 ::

Teens and Internet

New PEW research report:

Teens Forge Forward with the Internet and Other New Technologies

The number of teenagers using the internet has grown 24% in the past four years and 87% of those between the ages of 12 and 17 are online.
Compared to four years ago, teens' use of the internet has intensified and broadened as they log on more often and do more things when they are online.

Among other things, there has been significant growth over the past four years in the number of teens who play games on the internet, get news, shop online, and get health information.

In short, today's American teens live in a world enveloped by communications technologies; the internet and cell phones have become a central force that fuels the rhythm of daily life.

These are some of the highlights of a new report, "Teens and Technology," issued by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, based on a November 2004 survey of 1,100 youth between the ages of 12 and 17 and their parents:

*About 21 million teens use the internet and half of them say they go online every day.
*51% of online teens live in homes with broadband connections.
*81% of wired teens play games online, which is 52% higher than four years ago.
*76% of online teens get news online, which is 38% higher than four years ago.
*43% have made purchases online, which is 71% higher than four years ago.
*31% use the internet to get health information, which is 47% higher than four years ago.

Not only has the number of users increased, but also the variety of technologies that teens use to support their communication, research, and entertainment desires has grown. When asked about their individual ownership of networked devices such as desktop and laptop computers, cell phones, and blackberries, 84% of teens reported owning at least one of these devices. Some 45% of teens have their own cells phones and many own several devices that can connect to the internet.

"Increasing numbers of teenagers live in a world of nearly ubiquitous computing and communication technologies that they can access at will," said Amanda Lenhart, Senior Research Specialist at the project and co-author of the report. "More and more teens go online frequently and from a wider array of places. They take ever-greater advantage of this new technology ecology by mastering features like instant messaging and phone-text messaging on their tethered and mobile computing devices."

These technologies enable a variety of methods and channels by which youth can communicate with one another as well as with their parents and other authorities. Email, once the cutting edge "killer app," is losing its privileged place among many teens as they express preferences for instant messaging (IM) and text messaging as ways to connect with their friends.

Fully 75% of online teens use instant messaging and the average amount of time spent instant messaging in a day has increased over the last four years. One third of all American teens have sent a text message.
Nonetheless, the trusty telephone remains the most often cited communication technology used by teens.

In focus groups, teens described their new environment. To them, email is increasingly seen as a tool for communicating with "adults" such as teachers, institutions like schools, and as a way to convey lengthy and detailed information to large groups. Meanwhile, IM is used for everyday conversations with multiple friends that range from casual to more serious and private exchanges.

It is also used as a place of personal expression. Through buddy icons or other customization of the look and feel of IM communications, teens can express and differentiate themselves. Other instant messaging tools allow for the posting of personal profiles, or even "away" messages, durable signals posted when a user is away from the computer but wishes to remain connected to their IM network.

Mary Madden, Research Specialist and co-author of the report notes, "Away messages, in effect, maintain a "presence" in this virtual IM space, even when a teen isn't directly tied to a technology. Away messages aren't just telegraphing location, but may include any type of information, such as in-jokes, quotes, coded messages or even contact information."

Teens, too, are accessing the internet from a variety of locations, including their homes, schools, community centers, libraries, and friends' and relatives' houses. It seems that teens may come to expect access to the virtual world from any physical world location.

*87% of teens have ever logged on from home *78% of teens log on from school *74% of teens log on from a friend or relative's house *54% of teens log on at the library *9% of teens log on from a community center, youth center or house of worship

Leading the way are older teenaged girls, who are putting burgeoning technologies to use to support their already honed communication styles.
Girls ages 15-17-year-old are the power users of the online teen cohort.
Older girls dominate in use of email, IM, text messaging, and selected information-seeking activities:

*97% of girls 15-17 have used instant messaging, compared to 89% of younger boys and girls and 87% of older boys *57% of older girls have ever sent a text message compared 40% of older boys *51% of older girls have bought something online *79% of girls 15-17 have gone online to search for information about a school they might attend, vs. 70% of older boys.
*Older girls are more likely to search for information on health topics both mundane and sensitive, for spirituality or religious information, and for entertainment topics like favorite sports or movie stars or TV programs.

The full report

:: Netwoman 12:03 PM [+] ::
...

I wish they were wearing more clothes

Programmers: Video Games Need Female Touch
By GREG SANDOVAL, AP Technology Writer Sat Jul 23, 2:25 AM ET

SAN FRANCISCO - Tara Teich enjoys nothing more than slipping into the role of a female video game character. But the 26-year-old software programmer gets annoyed by the appearance of such digital alter egos as the busty tomb raider Lara Croft or the belly-baring Wu the Lotus Blossom of "Jade Empire."

Don't even get her started on the thong-bikini babes that the male gunmen win as prizes in "Grand Theft Auto," which was sent to stores with hidden sex scenes left embedded on the discs by programmers.

Rockstar Games belatedly took responsibility for the scenes this week after the industry's ratings board re-rated the game "Adults Only."

"I wish they were wearing more clothes," says Teich, a lifelong game enthusiast who now helps create games. Why, she asks, must women in video games always look like Las Vegas show girls?

Tammy Yap, a game programmer for six years, once asked that of a colleague — after all, the skimpy clothing and exaggerated body parts might offend some women, she told him. His response: "What difference does it make? Women don't play video games."

The data on who plays games are actually quite consistent — men account for 70 percent of the players of games written for consoles (such as
Xbox and
PlayStation2), says Schelley Olhava, an analyst with the research group IDC. "Those numbers have changed little in the past seven years," she says.

Women could be a rich area for growth — if the $10 billion video game industry figures out what games they want. But their point of view often goes unheard.

"There's no question that we need more diversity," says Jason Della Rocca, executive director of the International Game Developers Association. "We're saying that we need to grow the business and broaden the audience and yet the game creators are still mostly young white males."

It's not just about good intentions.

The decision by the Entertainment Software Rating Board to require an "Adults Only" rating for "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" could cost Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., Rockstar's parent company, more than $50 million this quarter alone, Take-Two said.

Controversy over the amount of sex and violence in video games has raged for years. With games rated "M" for mature proving to be reliable top sellers, the industry has become synonymous with blood-spattered shootouts and voluptuous vixens. With such a reputation, it isn't easy to attract female job candidates, insiders say.

While Olhava says 10 percent of all software engineers in the technology industry are women, that figure is just 4 percent in the video game field, according to Della Rocca.

"I've never worked with another woman programmer," says Yap, 28, who has been at three companies in six years. She likes her male co-workers at Midway Home Entertainment Inc. in San Diego, but "sometimes it gets lonely."

Video game companies may remain a man's world for years to come.

In May, the University of Derby in Great Britain launched a game-programming course with financial backing from Microsoft Corp.

All 106 applicants were male. And at the University of Southern California's school of engineering, it's not unusual to see classes in video game programming without a single female student, says Anthony Borquez, director of education for USC's Integrated Media Systems Center.

"The perception is that video games are just shoot-em-ups with half-naked women running around," Borquez says. "A lot of women think that there isn't much video game content for them."

Marketing efforts by the software companies seem to reinforce that perception, Yap says.

"Game magazines have women wearing bikinis on the cover," she says. "They are obviously targeting men. There's nothing wrong with that, but that approach isn't going to attract many women."

Born in Singapore, Yap began writing software code at the age of 10, and grew up playing games from a more innocent era, such as Lode Runner, Burger Time and Pac-Man.

After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she was approached by several large game makers but thought of getting out of the business. Being the only woman in her department made her self-conscious.

"Sometimes I felt like I had to prove myself," she says.

Says Teich, who works for Mad Doc Software LLC in Lawrence, Mass.: "I think you need a certain temperament. In some ways you are in a guys' club ... you've got to be able to take your share of joking."

Teich and Yap say the industry doesn't have to be so male-oriented. They cite the success of "The Sims," a decidedly nonviolent role-playing game, as proof that tapping into the women's market means big bucks.

Redwood City, Calif.-based Electronic Arts Inc. has sold more than 54 million units of the Sims, generating more than $1 billion in sales since it launched in 2000. It's the best-selling PC game of all time, and about 55 percent of the buyers were women, says EA spokeswoman Tammy Schachter.

She also notes that there were more women on the Sims' development team than on most of EA's video games.

There are signs that companies are trying harder. The game developers' association holds seminars to discuss the issues of female recruitment and retention. Electronic Arts, which endowed a chair at USC for the study of interactive entertainment in February, sponsors a scholarship for female high school students to attend a computer programming camp at the school.

Last year, the summer camp failed to attract a single female. This year, eight of the 28 students are young women.

"We're definitely very motivated to find more ways to get women into the industry," Schachter says. "This is part of a plan to build out the talent pipeline over the long term. This is not something we can solve overnight."

I think the article raises some interesting points, but I think to say that games need a female touch is a bit essentialist. Not all women are feminist. Having women designing games doesn't necessarily mean you'll get 'what women want' (whatever that is). I think women and men are quite capable of designing games that are diverse and inclusive. We need to teach designers and programmers to think outside the box. Granted, we need to make these degree programs more appealing to women and other minorities, but curriculum changes are needed as well.

:: Netwoman 12:20 PM [+] ::
...

We R Cyborg

Call me HAL: Japan looks to robots for elderly care
By Masayuki Kitano Thu Jul 21, 8:17 AM ET

TOKYO (Reuters) - They won't be leaping tall buildings in a single bound, but Japan's growing number of elderly may someday have a new lease on life that allows them to care for themselves -- and maybe even pump a little iron.

As the country's population ages rapidly and its workforce shrinks, care workers may be hard to come by, so researchers are trying to develop the ultimate personal care givers: robots.

"Unlike the United States or Europe, Japan is reluctant to allow in cheap foreign laborers," said Takashi Gomi, president of Canada-based Applied AI Systems Inc., whose company has developed a prototype of an "intelligent" wheelchair that can move around on its own and sense obstacles to avoid them.

"I don't think this will change easily in the next 20 to 30 years, so robots are about the only solution," said Gomi, a Canadian researcher born in Japan.

Right now, most robots are used in factories. But many Japanese researchers have begun developing mechanical helpers for use in homes, offices, hospitals and nursing facilities.

Turning to robots makes economic sense.

A government report said in May that annual demand for non-factory "service robots" may reach 1.1 trillion yen (9.75 billion) in 2015, when one in four Japanese is expected to be 65 or older.

Yoshiyuki Sankai is among those who see robots as the future of elderly health care.

A researcher at Japan's University of Tsukuba, Sankai has developed a robotic suit designed to make it easier for elderly people with weak muscles to move around or for care-givers to lift them.

The sleek, high-tech get-up looks like a white suit of armor. It straps onto a person's arms, legs and back and is equipped with a computer, motors and sensors that detect electric nerve signals transmitted from the brain when a person tries to move his limbs.

When the sensors detect the nerve signals, the computer starts up the relevant motors to assist the person's motions.

Sankai says the suit, dubbed "Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) 5," can let a person who can barely do an 176-pound leg press handle 397 pounds.

"The big goal is to expand or strengthen the physical capability of humans," said Sankai, who set up a venture firm last year to market the robot suit and plans to start leasing HAL-5 to the elderly and disabled in Japan this year.

EXPENSIVE CARE

Japan may face a shortage of young workers but it has an abundance of robots.

It was home to 44 percent of the nearly 801,000 industrial robots around the world at the end of 2003.

Although the market for "rehabilitation robots" -- those aimed at assisting the elderly or disabled -- is still in its infancy, they are gradually coming into use.

Yaskawa Electric Corp., a leading industrial robot maker, has been selling a rehabilitation robot since 2000, says Hidenori Tomisaki, a manager at Yaskawa's medical and assistive technology group.

Its bedside robot assists the physical therapy of patients recovering from strokes or artificial knee replacement surgery, helping them move their legs with its mechanical arm.

"Some patients become worried or feel pain unless such exercises are conducted at a consistent speed," Tomisaki said.

Demand, however, has been limited, due partly to the cost.

The newest version, TEM LX2, is priced around 3.8 million yen, or well over $30,000. Only five to six units have been sold per year since 2003.

SHALL WE DANCE?

Costs may eventually come down. Developing robots that react to people's whims is another matter.

Robot gurus at Tohoku University and Nomura Unison Co. Ltd, an industrial machinery maker, say the key is to equip robots with the ability to detect intent or action.

That's what they had in mind when developing a "Partner Ballroom Dance Robot" that can dance a waltz.

The 5-foot-5-inch, 220-pound robot looks like a woman in a dress and can execute five types of dance steps to match the moves of a human dance partner.

It accomplishes this with a sensor that detects the force being applied to it by the human dancer and gauging how the person wants to dance based on such signals.

"We think that in the future, this technology can be applied to various areas including helping care for the elderly ... and for cooperation between humans and robots," said Minoru Nomura, president of Nomura Unison.

Naoki Tanaka, managing director of Network Center for Human Service Association, a non-profit network of groups involved in elderly care, says some of the people he works with may even prefer robots to humans when it comes to their care.

"There are people who say they would rather have a robot help them take a bath than rely on help from another person," he said.

:: Netwoman 12:18 PM [+] ::
...

Gender and ICTs for development

The Special 'Gender and ICTs for development' addresses the use of traditional and new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) such as radio, CD-ROM, the Internet and email to improve the livelihood of people, women in particular, living in resource-poor areas in the developing countries.

The resource includes the following sections:
* guest contributions addressing practical work and experiences in the field
* a bibliography of journal articles, books and chapters of books available from KIT Library, and online publications
* links to information on gender and ICT for development projects
* links to relevant organizations and web resources

Access the Special 'Gender and ICTs for Development'

:: Netwoman 11:57 AM [+] ::
...

MIT Survey on Blogs and Tech Use

MIT has a survey on blog and tech use. It's fairly detailed, but interesting.

:: Netwoman 1:03 PM [+] ::
...

Issues with Bloglines

Once again I am having trouble with Bloglines. Since I have been so busy teaching spring and summer courses (and NOT writing my dissertation - eek!), I have had little time to keep up with what's going on in the blog world. This means that my RSS feeds have been building. So when I go to read 300 feeds in a folder, Bloglines can't/won't bring them up. If I refresh, I lose all the posts. This is SO frustrating. I have emailed them about it, and they emailed me to say they would look into it - but no go. I have tried on other browsers but the same thing happens. I might have to consider another aggregator. So, now I am totally out of the loop - unless I go through all 100ish of my favourite blogs one at a time. hmm.

:: Netwoman 12:09 PM [+] ::
...

Women and Violence

Just received this in my email...

"There is an excellent resource paper just produced called Cultivating Violence through Technology: Exploring the Connections between ICT and VAW, by Jac Kee for APC Women. You can find it at www.apcwomen.org and also on the GenderIT website at www.genderit.org where there is an ongoing discussion of the paper as it is still in draft form and input is being collected.
Also I am working with Martus human rights software through Benetech to make their free software available for storage on remote servers for women's NGOs to store sensitive data securely. Primarily this is being used in the South for human rights organizations who do not have access, connectivity, infrastructure etc., but the software is available in many languages and is user-friendly for groups who need an easy tool to collect data on all forms of abuses - we are adapting it for women's NGOs and developing regional training networks and groups in Canada are welcome to use it and participate. See www.martus.org and email me for more information at sbazilli@look.ca."

:: Netwoman 4:10 PM [+] ::
...