University Students and Technologies: Usage, Consumption and Future Trends in the Educational Context

The Survey

This study, now in its third edition (Ferri et al., 2010; 2012) was conducted during the 2011-2012 academic year. Similarly to the previous editions, it involved a quantitative survey of the population of undergraduate students enrolled on basic degree programmes at Milano-Bicocca University. The instrument used was a 33 item questionnaire, divided into six parts: demographic information, relationship with technology, cultural consumption habits, the role of Internet in everyday life, use of Web 2.0 platforms and services in general and of Facebook in particular. The dedicated section on Facebook was a new addition in relation to the earlier editions of the survey: the growing popularity of this social network not only amongst the university student population but throughout society as a whole led us to view it as a phenomenon deserving of more in-depth investigation.