The presentation discusses the evolution and significance of internet studies as a transformative field, highlighting key questions about technology, usage, design, law, and policy. It notes the increasing number of internet users and the growth of centers for research and teaching in this area from 2000 to 2013. The document also references foundational texts and research mapping efforts that explore the landscape of internet research.

1. Internet Studies:
The Foundations of a Transformative Field
Bill Dutton
Oxford Internet Institute (OII)
University of Oxford
www.ox.ac.uk
Presentation for Students and Faculty, Lisbon University Institute,
Lisbon, Portugal, 10 April 2013.

2. Emergence of a Transitional Field

3. Objects of Internet Study

4. Questions About Technology, Use, and Policy

5. Technology Use (Context) Policy
Who shapes? Who shapes Who uses Who shapes
design and (does not use) law and policy?
implementa- in what ways?
tion?
Why? What goals Why such Their goals and
(structures, and objectives patterns in objectives?
cultures, … drive design particular
shaping development contexts?
choice)
With what Do technical Do patterns of How is
implications for designs bias use support evolving
whom? use and different ecology of law
impacts? aims/groups? and policy
shaping design
and use?

6. Competing Perspectives on the Field

7. Two Conceptions of Internet Studies

8. A Transformative Field

9. The Future of Internet Studies

10. Number and Proportion of Internet Users by Region
Source: Internet World Stats- www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm. Penetration rates are based on a world population of
6,930,055,154 and 2,267,233,742 estimated Internet users for December 31, 2011.

11. Internet Studies
• 2000: Lawrence, Kansas,
200 participants
• 2013: Worldwide Diffusion
and Increasing Significance
with a Growing Number of
Centres for Teaching and
Research

12. Internet Studies
• Dutton, W. H. (2013), ‘Internet Studies’ in
Dutton, W. H. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of
Internet Studies. Oxford University Press
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?
abstract_id=2231188
• Peng, T. Q., Zhu, J. J. H., Zhang, L., & Zhong,
Z. J. (2012). “Mapping the Landscape of Internet
Research: Text Mining of Social Science Journal
Articles 2000–2009,” New Media & Society.
DOI: 10.1177/1461444812462846.