Observing that most adults' present conceptions of the computer have been shaped by media images, a content analysis was conducted of 169 articles on computers published in six popular magazines from the 1940s through 1969. The articles were coded in terms of their themes and topics, and the specific terms used to refer to computers in each…

Two studies are reported that tested the effects of age with the predisposition to adopt videotex services. The first study, conducted in April 1982, consisted of 478 telephone interviews of Cox Cable subscribers in San Diego. The second study, conducted in summer 1982, consisted of face-to-face interviews with 107 respondents, selected through…

Main trends in media research in Western Europe are identified, with emphasis on three successive stages since 1960: tools technology, systems technology, and reflective technology. Previously, the third stage has not been well elaborated, a statement supported by an analysis of the content and context of European media. A critical appraisal of…

Historically, legislation or judicial review successfully controlled threats to personal privacy by information technology. Wiretapping legislation, for example, developed along with sophisticated telephone equipment. Today, however, the law is unable to respond quickly enough to the constantly changing situations and behaviors created by massive…

Almost from the introduction of the new technology into newsrooms, the video display terminal (VDT) has raised health concerns. Ironically, the newspaper industry--which ordinarily would be at the forefront, acting as a watchdog over worker health and safety concerns--has initiated little news coverage of the VDT radiation issue. The Newspaper…

Emerging videotex news services--systems for distributing textual information on television screens that permit direct competition with pulp newspapers--are presently rooted in a limited theory of newsreading. The first of two rival theories of newsreading applicable to electronic newspapers is "uses and gratifications" research--the…

Research on man-machine communication was examined to gain insight into techniques for improving interactive programs through the enhancement of communicative style. The human-computer interaction is compared to a conversation, and specific recommendations for improving this interaction are enumerated. The suggestions are general in nature and are…

This study examined the effects of computer experience, age, and sex on attitudes toward computers among 142 high school language arts students, 107 community college mathematics students, and 105 students living in dormitories at a small liberal arts college. Computer attitudes (computer anxiety, computer confidence, and computer liking) were…

A study was conducted to determine how a population viewed the prospect of receiving news and information electronically. Subjects were 529 students attending Stanford University (California) in the heart of the "Silicon Valley" computer industry. The survey was conducted by mail with a telephone follow-up, and included 108 questions on usage of…

A review of computer assisted instruction research and recent meta-analytical reports suggests that all research on the learning benefits of the instructional uses of computers should be halted until there is a plausible reason to expect that computers are instrumental in learning, since all existing evidence indicates that computers do not yield…

Forty-eight Michigan newspapers were surveyed by telephone to determine their criteria in selecting online database services, type of personnel using them, training procedures, budgets, and perceptions of the impact of these services on the speed of writing stories and quality of reporting. Data collection involved two phases: (1) researchers…

Using R. E. Clark's concept of media attributions, a study examined the evolution of fourth through tenth grade students' perceptions about computers on three dependent variables--preference, perceived learning, and perceived difficulty, over the course of 3 years. Subjects were 339 public school students in Tennessee who completed a…

Since videotex and teletext information retrieval systems are likely to become as widespread as television, their impact--personal, social, physical or psychological--should be examined before widespread implementation to insure "the greatest good for the greatest number." Transmitted by television signal, teletext information will probably be…

An applied linguistic framework is presented within which specific applications of media technologies may be applied to language learning. The first two parts of the paper focus on the impact of media on linguistic communication and the possibilities offered by media technologies such as newspapers, radio, television, telephone/telex, computer…

This exploration of the potential for gender-role stereotypes to interfere with the constructive integration of computers into elementary and secondary school classrooms suggests that gender-related differences in perceptions of abilities in mathematics and science are the precursors of similar perceptions regarding computer use. Literature…