This article packages the data collected in October 1984 as part of the Current Population Survey, when the National Center for Education Statistics sponsored the inclusion of questions on computer availability and use at home, work and school.
Estimates of access by children varied. White children, non-Hispanic children, and boys were substantially more likely to have a home computer than their black, Hispanic and female counterparts. The probability of access increased with the educational level of the household, increased income, and professionally employed adults. Household ownership of a computer was strongly associated with the presence of children in the home.
Use patterns demonstrated no real differences between racial groups - but boys continued to outpace girls, and children in low-income groups had lower rates of use. School use increased with the educational level and income of parents, suggesting that it depends on the quality and equipping of schools, which is tied to parental resources.
The survey examined access and use by adults - 18.3% of the adult population used a computer somewhere. Usage was highest among people 25-44, whites, non-Hispanics, men, and single individuals. Again, having a home computer strongly correlated with high education and income levels. However, only 53.3% of adults with home computer access reported using the computer, with men drastically outpacing women.
Work use was more likely with high levels of education, in managerial and professional jobs, and for technical and administrative positions. Differences in workplace use reflect differences in workforce distribution - women were more likely to use computers because of their overrepresentation in administrative, sales, and support positions. Higher rates of usage, here, do not align with higher wages or prestige. Of those adults in school, nearly a third used computers.
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I couldn't put this up without throwing out some recent research that shows girls outpacing boys in home computer use, and turning to their moms for technical help! http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090120074828.htm
ReplyDeleteThe article stated that, in 1984, there were four predominant uses for adolescent computer use: "video games, school-related activities, basic learning of the computer, and other activities...".
ReplyDeleteMy question: Has this list changed in the past 25 years ? I would have to personally say yes, seeing as there is no mention of social networking. I couldn't have made it through my senior year of high school without massive amounts of procrastination on Facebook instead of doing homework.
I found myself wondering what "basic learning of computer" consisted of -- in 1984, wouldn't that be more like basic programming than how to right-click?
ReplyDeleteWhile this report touches on this in its Introduction, I think something that's not clear is that 1984 was right in the midst of the transition from mainframe computers to PCs. I graduated from college in 1986, and at my small liberal arts school in central Pennsylvania, we were still using terminals linked to a mainframe system for wordprocessing. The school required the students entering in the fall of 1986 to buy PCs, which if memory serves were early Apples.
ReplyDeleteJen, it didn't seem clear to me either what they defined as "basic computer learning" but I think much of it would be familiarity with whatever wordprocessing program one was using and/or some other early programs.
Sharon, what kind of programs were around in 1984/1986? I didn't start using computers until grade school in the early 90's and I am curious to know how much the programs have changed. The earliest program I remember using was the Logo turtle.
ReplyDeleteWait, I meant late 80's.
ReplyDeleteI really wish we could see a map of geographically where computers were located and concentrated at this time.
ReplyDelete"However, only 53.3% of adults with home computer access reported using the computer, with men drastically outpacing women."
ReplyDeleteThat statistic really struck me while reading the article. Those who were able to afford a computer for the home presumably had jobs that also used computers, and I wonder if computers were viewed as primarily work objects. That said, it also seems that familiarity with computers would allow people to see the various applications of them; why do you think only half of adults were using home computers?
The absence of the Internet, of course, may have been part of this--my parent's use of the computer revolves around email, banking, news, and that's about it. Without the internet, I am not sure how often they would really use it. As PCs are so pervasive now (and have been in my lifetime) it's hard to understand why people weren't using them constantly and experimenting with their potential.
Personal computing in the 1980s was fairly limited to so-called "productivity" activities: word processing (using non-graphical interfaces, keyboard commands, and so on, in applications like WordPerfect), spreadsheets (like Lotus 1 2 3), simple programming in BASIC, mostly done for fun, and gaming.
ReplyDeleteOnline networking activities happened in a number of contexts. These included local dial-up BBSes and commercial services like CompuServe. Connections took place over modems with speeds as low as 300 baud over analog phone lines.
(I'm talking about home use, above, although workplace personal computing didn't differ too far from this description until the mid-late 80s, with the development of graphical user interfaces, desktop publishing, database functionality and so on...)
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