Micro and macro spatial dimensions of new media in five European countries

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to investigate how the possession of computers and mobile phones and access to the Internet is influenced by micro and macro spatial dimensions and how Europeans have embedded the possession of these technologies into the spatial dimension of their daily life. We gathered our data from two telephone surveys carried out in five European countries (Italy, France, Spain, the UK and Germany) using a representative sample of their populations (N=6609 in 1996 and N=7255 in 2009). Both surveys were sponsored by Telecom Italia. To accurately represent the spatial dimensions of Europe we focused on four variables: house size, city size, socio-economic macro area and country. These variables were analyzed alongside computer and mobile phone ownership and Internet access. The results have allowed us to obtain new insights into how the spatial dimensions of European societies are related to the diffusion of computers, the Internet and mobile phones. © 2011 Springer.