Are women more exposed to online hate speech?

Written by Grant Blank, William H. Dutton and Nico Buettner Driven by controversies like Gamergate (e.g. Hathaway 2014), online hate speech against women has attracted increasing attention. While the prevalence of online hostility toward women is of exceptional importance, most research is anecdotal. Items from the Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS) can be used to take… Read More »

OxIS 2019: The Rise of Mobile Internet Use in Britain

In the short time from 2013 until 2019 the use of mobile has been the most dramatic change in how individuals in Britain use the Internet. This reflects a global trend in the adoption of mobile phones and mobile Internet use. However, the uniquely UK dynamics and consequences of this transformation are starkly illuminated in… Read More »

OxIS 2019: Digital divides in Britain are narrowing but deepening

The existence of a ‘digital divide’ has been one of the key social issues of the Internet since its early diffusion at the turn of the twenty-first century. Over time, as access to the Internet has become increasingly central to everyday life, those without access to broadband infrastructures, digital devices, and Internet skills have been… Read More »

OxIS 2019 Launch at BT Centre, London

The OxIS 2019 was launched on September 9, 2019 at BT Centre, London. The event began with opening remarks from Jasmine Whitbread, Non-Executive Director of BT and Chair of BT’s Digital Impact and Sustainability Committee, followed by Oxford Internet Institute (OII) Director Phillip Howard’s introduction of the report’s author, Dr. Grant Blank, Survey Research Fellow… Read More »

OxIS 2019: Nine key trends indicating the Internet’s more positive role in society

What are key trends on the Internet in 2019? The OxIS 2019 survey data suggests a more positive view of the Internet’s role in everyday life, contrasting popular contemporary narratives which emphasize the Internet’s supposed dystopian functions. Nine basic trends regarding the themes of digital divides, mobiles, habits, media, disinformation, targeting, privacy, cultures, and prosumers… Read More »

New survey finds majority of internet users have a positive experience online, but potential for digital divide to widen

Research from the Oxford Internet Institute (OII), part of the University of Oxford, has revealed a rapid increase in use of the internet for commercial, banking and entertainment purposes. The number of people paying bills online, watching films and TV series’ and streaming music via the internet has increased significantly since 2013. However, there is… Read More »

OxIS 2013 top-line findings: Internet use continues to grow; big increases in low-income households

Released on 1 October by the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, the Oxford Internet Surveys (OxIS) 2013 Report: “Cultures of the Internet: The Internet in Britain 2013” presents data on British access, use and attitudes to the Internet since 2003. Topline findings are listed below: Internet use continues to grow; big increases in low-income… Read More »