This document summarizes research on the digital habits of Italian university students from 2008 to 2009. It found that while students are reading fewer books offline, they are spending more time online, mainly at home. Over two thirds spend more than an hour online per day. Their use of digital tools has increased, with more students producing new content online or being highly engaged with digital media. Facebook was the most popular social media platform among students.

1. Are Italian
University students
on their way to developing their PLEs?

2. A research...
๏ about the “digital diet” of university students
๏ on a sample of 1088 (2008) and 1123 (2009)
students (total students: ~21000)
๏ involving qualitative and quantitative techniques

3. Offline
How many books
50,0
48,6
44,6
do they read? 37,5
25,0
26,7
20,9
13,5
11,7 12,5
15,5 15,6
None 0
Less than 5
Less than 10
More than 10
2008 2009

4. Source: ISTAT
86,9% of them 86,9%
90,0
read at least 1
book in 2009 67,5 65,2 66,3
61,0
52,45%
45,0
43,5
39,2 39,5
45,1%
22,5
compared to the
national data
0
18-19 20-24 25-34
Average 18-34 Female Male Average on total population

5. Offline
2,6
How much television
4,4 3,5
13,7
do they watch?
10,6
never
less than 1 h
1 to 5 hs
5 to 10 hs
21,3
10 to 15 hs
15 to 20 hs
43,4
more than 20 hs
(hours per week, average 2008-2009)

6. Offline
“I don’t watch television: I’m How much television
2,6 completely digital”
4,4 3,5
13,7
do they watch?
10,6
“I only watch movies and series on streaming”
never
less than 1 h
1 to 5 hs
5 to 10 hs
21,3 “I watch what I want, whenever I want”
10 to 15 hs
15 to 20 hs
43,4
more than 20 hs
(hours per week, average 2008-2009)

7. Online
1,0 Time spent online, per week
0,75,9
doesn’t know
25,1 never
23,7 less than 1 h
1 to 5 hs
5 to 10 hs
10,8 10 to 15 hs
15 to 20 hs
13,8 19,2 more than 20 hs
(Average of 2008 and 2009)

8. Online
30,2
less than 1 h per day
more than 1 h per day
68,8
(Average of 2008 and 2009)

9. Online
“I can do without internet!!”
“I’m not web-addicted!!!”
30,2
less than 1 h per day
more than 1 h per day
“I mostly live online”
68,8
“Whatever I am doing, I’m always connected”
(Average of 2008 and 2009)

10. Where?
97
home 71,5
1,6
university 12,3
family & friends 0,7
6,9
wi-fi network was improved
0,3
public places 3,2
0,5
other 6,1
0 25 50 75 100 %
2008 2009
They mainly use a
computer at home...

11. What they know...
60 60
54,9
51,6
45 40,2 45
38,3 38,0
34,8
32,8
30 28,1 30
I often use it
17,2 I seldom use it
15 I know it, but I don’t use it 15 13,4
10,4
NO 7,9
4,4 3,7
2,6 2,1
0 0
2008 2009 2008 2009

12. ...and what they don’t
90 80
77,6 77,3
82,4
68 72,8 60
45 40
23 17,0 20 11,5
8,0 10,7
1,3 0,7 1,8 0,5 2,8 1,2 2,6 0,7
0 0
2008 2009 2008 2009
mmpf...
So sad...
yes, but I don’t use it
yes, I seldom use it
I often use it
NO

13. 3 groups
in 2008
Production of new contents
Inter@ctivate
d
30,1%
Neo -
Analogical
22,4% ss
Digital Ma
47,5%
Degree of utilisation of digital media

14. 3 groups
in 2009
Production of new contents
Inter@ctivated
36,8%
Neo-Analogical
31,6% Di gital Mass
31,6%
Degree of utilisation of digital media

15. 59,4
Facebook
60
50,4
45
26,0 30
23,0
15
8,2 10,2
2,2 7,9
no 0
yes, but I don’t use it
I seldom use it
I often use it
2008 2009
Clearly, it was the year of the boom...

16. What’s next?
(in your country?)

17. What tools
should we focus on?

18. Thank you!
Observatory on New Media
University of Milan Bicocca - Italy