Feministiskt virus i ett sexistiskt internet?

Kirjallisuusarvostelu

Kommunikaatio ja Internet : media murroksessa - merkityksiä ja arviointeja

Kommunikaatio on kaikista asioista ihmeellisin, kirjoitti amerikkalainen filosofi John Dewey vuonna 1925. Sen jälkeen tapahtunut kommunikaatioteknologian kiihtyvä kehitys on ehkä vielä ihmeellisempää. Tarkastelun kohteena on kommunikaatioteknologian kehitys ja sen aikaansaama median murros. Tämän kehityksen tärkein ilmentymä on Internet, joka kuvastaa ehkä parhaiten informaatioyhteiskunnan olemusta. Tutkielmassa käydään läpi Internetin asemaa julkisena keskusteluareenana, sen tekijänoikeuskysymyksiä ja Internetin merkitystä massamedialle sekä sosiaalista mediaa kommunikaatioteorioiden näkökulmasta. Ensimmäisenä tutkimusongelmana on arvioida näitä piirteitä hollantilaisen mediatutkijan Denis McQuailin jaottelemien media-yhteiskuntateorioiden kautta. Tutkimuksen toisena ongelmana ja empiirisenä osuutena on WikiLeaks-vuotosivuston julkisuuskuva, jota tarkastellaan printtimedian asennoitumisen kautta. Ensimmäisen tutkimusongelman ratkaisumenetelmänä on kattava teoreettisen kirjallisuuden käsittely, jossa käydään läpi merkittävimmät kommunikaatiotutkimukseen liittyvät historialliset teoriat ja niiden paradigmat sekä arvioidaan Internetin eri ilmiöitä näiden teorioiden ja uusimpien tieteellisten artikkelien pohjalta. Toisen tutkimusongelman ratkaisumenetelmänä on yksinkertainen semioottinen analyysi, jossa aineistona on 54 eurooppalaisen ja pohjoisamerikkalaisen sanomalehti- ja aikakausjulkaisun pääkirjoitusta ja kolumnia. Tutkielman teoreettisessa osuudessa tullaan johtopäätökseen, jonka mukaan vanhat media-yhteiskuntateoriat selittävät edelleen melko hyvin Internetin aikaansaamaa muutosta sekä henkilökohtaisessa viestinnässä että massakommunikaatiossa. Esimerkiksi sosiaalisen median suhteen sosiaalisen konstruktionismin symbolinen interaktionismi -paradigma tuntuu selitysvoimaiselta. Empiirisessä osuudessa tutkielman lähtökohta-oletuksena on, että vasemmistolaisten ja vasemmistoliberaalien julkaisujen suhtautuminen vuotosivustoon on positiivisempi kuin liberaalikonservatiivisten ja arvokonservatiivisten julkaisujen. Aineiston analyysi osoittaa lähtökohtaoletuksen enimmäkseen paikkansapitäväksi.

Internet-based breast cancer patient’s pathway as an empowering patient educational tool

This three-phase study was conducted to examine the effect of the Breast Cancer Patient’s Pathway program (BCPP) on breast cancer patients’ empowering process from the viewpoint of the difference between knowledge expectations and perceptions of received knowledge, knowledge level, quality of life, anxiety and treatment-related side effects during the breast cancer treatment process. The BCPP is an Internet-based patient education tool describing a flow chart of the patient pathway during the breast treatment process, from breast cancer diagnostic tests to the follow-up after treatments. The ultimate goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of the BCPP to the breast cancer patient’s empowerment by using the patient pathway as a patient education tool. In phase I, a systematic literature review was carried out to chart the solutions and outcomes of Internet-based educational programs for breast cancer patients. In phase II, a Delphi study was conducted to evaluate the usability of web pages and adequacy of their content. In phase III, the BCPP program was piloted with 10 patients and patients were randomised to an intervention group (n=50) and control group (n=48). According to the results of this study, the Internet is an effective patient education tool for increasing knowledge, and BCPP can be used as a patient education method supporting other education methods. However, breast cancer patients’ perceptions of received knowledge were not fulfilled; their knowledge expectations exceed the perceived amount of received knowledge. Although control group patients’ knowledge expectations were met better with the knowledge they received in hospital compared to the patients in the intervention group, no statistical differences were found between the groups in terms of quality of life, anxiety and treatment-related side effects. However, anxiety decreased faster in the intervention group when looking at internal differences between the groups at different measurement times. In the intervention group the relationship between the difference between knowledge expectations and perceptions of received knowledge correlated significantly with quality of life and anxiety. Their knowledge level was also significant higher than in the control group. These results support the theory that the empowering process requires patient’s awareness of knowledge expectations and perceptions of received knowledge. There is a need to develop patient education to meet patients’ perceptions of received knowledge, including oral and written education and BCPP, to fulfil patient’s knowledge expectations and facilitate the empowering process. Further research is needed on the process of cognitive empowerment with breast cancer patients. There is a need for new patient education methods to increase breast cancer patients’ awareness of knowing.

Englantilaiset Triumph 4.94 HP. nelitahtiset moottoripyörät

kuv., 14 x 22 cm

Yrityksen Internet-sivut osana integroitua markkinointiviestintää : case Fiskars Boats ja Buster

Internetin kasvun ja teknologian digitalisoitumisen myötä media on pirstaloitunut yhä enenevässä määrin, ja massamedioista on siirrytty yhä enemmän pienempien ja kapea-alaisempien medioiden käyttöön. Vastaukseksi tähän haasteeseen yrityksille on esitetty integroitua markkinointiviestintää. Integroidussa markkinointiviestinnässä pyritään yhdistelemään eri markkinointiviestinnän kanavia siten, että yhden markkinointikanavan vahvuudet korvaavat toisen kanavan heikkouksia. Integroidussa markkinointiviestinnässä kuluttajille pyritään luomaan monen kanavan välityksellä selkeä ristiriidaton viesti. Viimeisten vuosien aikana monissa uutisissa ja tutkimuksissa on keskitytty sosiaaliseen mediaan ja jätetty yritysten Internet-sivut pienemmälle huomiolle, vaikka ne näyttelevätkin erittäin suurta osaa kuluttajien hakiessa tietoa yrityksistä ja niiden tuotteista tai palveluista. Tämän tutkielman tavoitteena on tutkia Internet-sivujen hyödyntämistä osana integroitua markkinointiviestintää. Tutkimuksen yleinen osatavoite jaetaan seuraaviin osaongelmiin: 1) Mitä integroitu markkinointiviestintä on? 2) Mitkä ovat Internet-sivujen markkinointiviestinnälliset ominaisuudet? 3) Miten yrityksen Internet-sivuja voidaan hyödyntää erityisesti integroidussa markkinointiviestinnässä? Tutkielman teoriatausta perustuu integroidusta markkinointiviestinnästä ja Internet-sivuista tehtyihin aiempiin tutkimuksiin. Tutkielmassa on käytetty metodina kvalitatiivista case- eli tapaustutkimusta, jossa tarkoituksena on muodostaa tutkittavasta aiheesta syvällinen käsitys valitun case-tapauksen avulla. Tutkielman empiirisessä osuudessa haastatellaan yhtä integroidun markkinointiviestinnän asiantuntijaa ja kolmea valitun case-yrityksen työntekijää, jotka työskentelevät markkinoinnin ja Internet-sivujen parissa. Tutkielman tulokset osoittavat, että integroidun markkinointiviestinnän määritelmästä on epäselvyyttä. Integroidun markkinointiviestinnän asiantuntija näkee, että kyseessä on laaja strateginen prosessi, jossa hän korostaa tavoitteellisuutta ja toiminnallisuutta. Case-yrityksessä integroitu markkinointiviestintä nähdään enimmäkseen markkinoinnin taktisten toimenpiteiden koordinoinnin työkaluna. Case-yritys näkee Internet-sivut lähinnä teknisten tietojen tiedonjakopaikkana ja ylimääräisenä ”myyntimiehenä”. Sivujen markkinointipotentiaaliin ei juurikaan uskota; sen sijaan sosiaalinen media nähdään potentiaalisempana kanavana markkinoinnille. Tutkielman perusteella caseyritys ei hyödynnä integroitua markkinointiviestintää ja Internet-sivuja niin tehokkaasti kuin tutkimusten ja markkinointikirjallisuuden mukaan olisi mahdollista. Tämä kielii paitsi sekä integroidun markkinointiviestintätoiminnan että Internet-sivujen siihen kytkemisen haasteellisuudesta käytännön liike-elämässä, myös siitä, että kehitettävää vielä on näissä asioissa sekä tutkitussa yrityksessä että hyvin todennäköisesti useimmissa muissakin yrityksissä.

Drivers and barriers of mobile travel and tourism service adoption : a study of individual perceptions and business model development in a travel and tourism context

The Travel and Tourism field is undergoing changes due to the rapid development of information technology and digital services. Online travel has profoundly changed the way travel and tourism organizations interact with their customers. Mobile technology such as mobile services for pocket devices (e.g. mobile phones) has the potential to take this development even further. Nevertheless, many issues have been highlighted since the early days of mobile services development (e.g. the lack of relevance, ease of use of many services). However, the wide adoption of smartphones and the mobile Internet in many countries as well as the formation of so-called ecosystems between vendors of mobile technology indicate that many of these issues have been overcome. Also when looking at the numbers of downloaded applications related to travel in application stores like Google Play, it seems obvious that mobile travel and tourism services are adopted and used by many individuals. However, as business is expected to start booming in the mobile era, many issues have a tendency to be overlooked. Travelers are generally on the go and thus services that work effectively in mobile settings (e.g. during a trip) are essential. Hence, the individuals’ perceived drivers and barriers to use mobile travel and tourism services in on-site or during trip settings seem particularly valuable to understand; thus this is one primary aim of the thesis. We are, however, also interested in understanding different types of mobile travel service users. Individuals may indeed be very different in their propensity to adopt and use technology based innovations (services). Research is also switching more from investigating issues of mobile service development to understanding individuals’ usage patterns of mobile services. But designing new mobile services may be a complex matter from a service provider perspective. Hence, our secondary aim is to provide insights into drivers and barriers of mobile travel and tourism service development from a holistic business model perspective. To accomplish the research objectives seven different studies have been conducted over a time period from 2002 – 2013. The studies are founded on and contribute to theories within diffusion of innovations, technology acceptance, value creation, user experience and business model development. Several different research methods are utilized: surveys, field and laboratory experiments and action research. The findings suggest that a successful mobile travel and tourism service is a service which supports one or several mobile motives (needs) of individuals such as spontaneous needs, time-critical arrangements, efficiency ambitions, mobility related needs (location features) and entertainment needs. The service could be customized to support travelers’ style of traveling (e.g. organized travel or independent travel) and should be easy to use, especially easy to take into use (access, install and learn) during a trip, without causing security concerns and/or financial risks for the user. In fact, the findings suggest that the most prominent barrier to the use of mobile travel and tourism services during a trip is an individual’s perceived financial cost (entry costs and usage costs). It should, however, be noted that regulations are put in place in the EU regarding data roaming prices between European countries and national telecom operators are starting to see ‘international data subscriptions’ as a sales advantage (e.g. Finnish Sonera provides a data subscription in the Baltic and Nordic region at the same price as in Finland), which will enhance the adoption of mobile travel and tourism services also in international contexts. In order to speed up the adoption rate travel service providers could consider e.g. more local initiatives of free Wi-Fi networks, development of services that can be used, at least to some extent, in an offline mode (do not require costly network access during a trip) and cooperation with telecom operators (e.g. lower usage costs for travelers who use specific mobile services or travel with specific vendors). Furthermore, based on a developed framework for user experience of mobile trip arrangements, the results show that a well-designed mobile site and/or native application, which preferably supports integration with other mobile services, is a must for true mobile presence. In fact, travel service providers who want to build a relationship with their customers need to consider a downloadable native application, but in order to be found through the mobile channel and make contact with potential new customers, a mobile website should be available. Moreover, we have made a first attempt with cluster analysis to identify user categories of mobile services in a travel and tourism context. The following four categories were identified: info-seekers, checkers, bookers and all-rounders. For example “all-rounders”, represented primarily by individuals who use their pocket device for almost any of the investigated mobile travel services, constituted primarily of 23 to 50 year old males with high travel frequency and great online experience. The results also indicate that travel service providers will increasingly become multi-channel providers. To manage multiple online channels, closely integrated and hybrid online platforms for different devices, supporting all steps in a traveler process should be considered. It could be useful for travel service providers to focus more on developing browser-based mobile services (HTML5-solutions) than native applications that work only with specific operating systems and for specific devices. Based on an action research study and utilizing a holistic business model framework called STOF we found that HTML5 as an emerging platform, at least for now, has some limitations regarding the development of the user experience and monetizing the application. In fact, a native application store (e.g. Google Play) may be a key mediator in the adoption of mobile travel and tourism services both from a traveler and a service provider perspective. Moreover, it must be remembered that many device and mobile operating system developers want service providers to specifically create services for their platforms and see native applications as a strategic advantage to sell more devices of a certain kind. The mobile telecom industry has moved into a battle of ecosystems where device makers, developers of operating systems and service developers are to some extent forced to choose their development platforms.

Conceptualizing and measuring human anxiety on the Internet

Since the 1990’s, the Internet has played a central role in our daily lives. The Internet is an integral part of our personal, business, family, research, entertainment, academic and social life. However, there are social implications in using the Internet that are dependent on categories such as gender, age, ethnicity and cultural attributes. This social aspect can play a detrimental role in the expression of human anxiety on the Internet. An anxiety is a complex phenomenon that requires further elaboration. Thus, the aim of this thesis is to investigate human anxiety, or specifically, whether Internet anxiety can be conceptualized and measured. This thesis utilizes literature, qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, and a triangulation validation approach to conceptualize and measure the Internet anxiety phenomenon. In particular, the aim is to explore anxiety levels of Internet participants to develop and validate an Internet anxiety scale based on earlier research on Internet anxiety. The results of the dissertation present a two phase study. In Phase I, a smaller set of studies were conducted with a limited sample size. In Phase II, the research topic was investigated using 385 participants. Based on a number of studies or experiments, the state-of-the-art discovered in this thesis is creation, design, and validation of two scales, the Self-Assessment Scale (SAS) and a Modified Internet Anxiety Scale (MIAS) for measuring users’ anxieties on the Internet. The result of this dissertation is a conceptualization and measurement of various types of Internet anxiety and measurement of affective feelings of users on the Internet. As a proof-of-concept of measuring Internet anxiety, this thesis describes the author’s implementation of three sets of tools: MyAnxiety, introducing Internet anxieties types; Intelligentia, for collecting Internet anxieties types; and MyIAControl tool, implemented as a browser plug-in, for measuring affective feelings of users on the Internet. Conclusions drawn from the results show that these empirically validated scales and tools might be useful for researchers and practitioners in understanding and measuring the Internet anxiety phenomenon further.

A distributed, cloud-ready, digital content processing and transformation platform and a specific use case

Poster at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014

Nurses’ Acceptance of an Internet-Based Support System in The Care of Adolescents with Depression

The overall goal of the study was to describe nurses’ acceptance of an Internet-based support system in the care of adolescents with depression. The data were collected in four phases during the period 2006 – 2010 from nurses working in adolescent psychiatric outpatient clinics and from professionals working with adolescents in basic public services. In the first phase, the nurses’ anticipated perceptions of the usefulness of the Internet-based support system before its implementation was explored. In the second phase, the nurses’ perceived ease of computer and Internet use and attitudes toward it were explored. In the third phase, the features of the support system and its implementation process were described. In the fourth phase, the nurses’ experiences of behavioural intention and actual system use of the Internet-based support were described in psychiatric out-patient care after one year use. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used to structure the various research phases. Several benefits were identified from the nurses’ perspective in using the Internet-based support system in the care of adolescents with depression. The nurses’ technology skills were good and their attitudes towards computer use were positive. The support system was developed in various phases to meet the adolescents’ needs. Before the implementation of the information technology (IT)-based support system, it is important to pay attention to the nurses’ IT-training, technology support, resources, and safety as well as ethical issues related to the support system. After one year of using the system, the nurses perceived the Internet-based support system to be useful in the care of adolescents with depression. The adolescents’ independent work with the support system at home and the program’s systematic character were experienced as conducive from the point of view of the treatment. However, the Internet-based support system was integrated only partly into the nurseadolescent interaction even though the nurses’ perceptions of it were positive. The use of the IT-based system as part of the adolescents’ depression care was seen positively and its benefits were recognized. This serves as a good basis for future IT-based techniques. Successful implementations of IT-based support systems need a systematic implementation plan and commitment from the part of the organization and its managers. Supporting and evaluating the implementation of an IT-based system should pay attention to changing the nurses’ work styles. Health care organizations should be offered more flexible opportunities to utilize IT-based systems in direct patient care in the future.