Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
interest, information, education and awareness
as the factors that make Greek society sceptical
about Internet-based technologies:
In general…I think we are quite reactive to any-
thing that changes our habits and lifestyle. On
the other hand, we immediately adopt trends that
come from abroad as long as they do not require
effort and are fashionable. About the Internet…I
think that some of us said that we don't have the
knowledge and incentives to use it…
Antonia (33 yrs, female self-employed, married,
no children): It's the same for me...I work a lot,
I'm self-employed and don't need the Internet
for work...I prefer to spend my time with family
or going out.
This socio-cultural and everyday life context
can also be used as the explanatory platform for
understanding the opposite treatment of mobile
telephony in the country, particularly as far as
Internet non-users are concerned. For instance,
Evangelia, a 29-year-old woman who works as
a shop owner and is a non-user of the Internet,
explains how her lifestyle (i.e. extroverted) and
daily work schedule (i.e. many hours outside of
home) drive her to use mobile telephony on a
regular basis and not the Internet: '…because of
the long work hours...I always have to have my
mobile with me so that people can find me and
talk to me about either work-related issues or more
personal matters'. Some Internet non-users seem
to use mobile telephony as a necessary tool for
almost every activity in their lives, with mobile
telephony often being perceived as an integral
element of social culture (capital) in Greece. For
instance, Andreas, a 50-year-old male doctor
who is married with one child, emphasises how
mobile telephony is a fundamental element of his
everyday routine and how nicely it fits in with his
everyday culture:
Anna (38 yrs, female teacher, married, two chil-
dren): I don't have the knowledge or expertise
to use the Internet, but I could easily get some
training so as to start using it...I don't need it and
don't want to be subject to all new technological
wonders that mislead people. This is something
I would like to teach my children too, but I don't
think they will be in a position to resist.
Ioannis (25 yrs, male civil engineer, single, no
children):...in the future everyone will be expected
to use the Internet. Undoubtedly, the Internet is
a technology we cannot ignore as it is becoming
increasingly important for most things in life. I
sometimes wonder whether it's wrong that I don't
use it, but it's just that I haven't had the chance
in the family and school to learn about it and
how to use it.
At the same time, some participants acknowl-
edged more bluntly the role of culture in how
ICTs are perceived and adopted by referring to
the established everyday life culture and customs
in the country. For instance, Ioannis (25 years old,
male, civil engineer, single, no children) pointed
out the contrasting attitudes of Greek society to
different technologies, strikingly confirming the
contradictions within the Greek context that the
literature has highlighted. Ioannis, an Internet
non-user himself, brings up the role of learning
and fashion or trend parameters as critical for
explaining the divergent adoption rates of tech-
nologies such as the Internet and mobile telephony
in the country:
…for me the mobile is necessary, I don't know how
I managed things without it in the past. I need it
for everything: my work, when patients call me
if in need; for when my wife contacts me about
family issues mainly concerning our child; for
my friends to keep in touch with...for everything,
I would say…it is very useful for practical and
communication matters.
From an Internet-user perspective, everyday
and other socio-cultural parameters still make a
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