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Foundation Commissions $50 Million Online Study

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the participation-gap dept.

PreacherTom writes, "It's not a stretch to say that kids use the Internet to play World of Warcraft and to tweak their MySpace pages. Still, the MacArthur Foundation doesn't think that is quite specific enough. The private, grant-making institution is commissioning a $50 million, five-year study to investigate precisely how and why young people use the Net. $10 million in grants is going to to individuals and organizations to work on projects that stimulate research in digital media. Sign me up."

6 of 70 comments (clear)

  1. Odds are the results will be less than useful by ScrewMaster · · Score: 3, Insightful

    since all of these technologies are relatively young and constantly changing, and any conclusions they may draw will likely be obsolete by the time they're published.

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    The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
  2. 5 Years?? by HeXetic · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A *5-year long* study about the Internet? Come on, by the time the study is complete, it'll be irrelevant as peoples' internet usage habits will have changed.

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    http://www.chmodoplusr.com/
  3. Usage by hadhad69 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    #4 Plagiarism

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    If you can read this, it's already too late.
  4. Ask the experts by Dachannien · · Score: 3, Funny

    They're spending $50 million to do the same thing that spyware authors make money doing.

  5. OK kids, it's not funny anymore by sootman · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Can someone write a greasemonkey thingie so I never have to see 'itsatrap' again? And maybe strip out 'fud, notfud' as well?

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  6. Misleading Article Title by vmardian · · Score: 3, Informative

    It's not a five year study, it's a five year initiative TO STUDY online culture.

    "... the MacArthur Foundation will give $10 million in grants to individuals and organizations to work on projects that stimulate research in digital media or explore new approaches to educational innovation....The remaining $40 million will be put towards fulfilling the broader aim of connecting researchers, educators, youth, and practitioners in different disciplines (and across sectors). A digital knowledge hub is already in the works, so that teachers from around the world can compare, contrast, and share research, tools, and findings through open-source software and online forums."

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