Zuhause im Netz

This study focuses on the relevance of the Internet to everyday life and the factors that influence Internet usage, based on an investigation of typical patterns of use and motives for use. The empirical basis of the study consists of 102 in-depth interviews with German Internet users aged 14–67 years. The sample was selected by applying the method of theoretical saturation, while the theoretical background was based on the uses-and-gratifications approach and the sociology of Bourdieu. The findings demonstrate that the Internet is indeed integrated in the everyday lives of the interviewees and that most of them cannot imagine life without the Internet. The interviews also reveal that the use of online applications varies with age, sex and social position: Whereas older online users and those with a small social network and low motivation for professional advancement use the Internet to satisfy mainly day-to-day needs (facilitating everyday life, contacting relatives and establishing strong ties), younger people (those under 30 years of age), men and members of the workforce (especially the self-employed and executives) use a wider variety of online applications.