Changes in Electronic Communications. What the User Figures for the New Communications Technologies aren't Telling us ...

Abstract

In the last few years, a shift in the way people use the so called "New Communication Technologies" has occurred. There is a development in the longitudinal dimension, where new user groups have emerged along with the emergence of these new technologies. Quantitative oriented research, the most prominent method being "Internet-surveys" published by media- and marketing-consultant agencies and broadly spread by the media, completely flattens such changes. But more subtle qualitative oriented studies do not reflect such changes either, since they often lack an historical dimension. This contribution outlines these new developments and would also like to correct some misunderstandings in connection with new "electronic communication" and to offer some communication-economic aspects. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0001157