The Computer: Helping or Hurting Facilitating Leisure?

1. The Computer: Helping or Hurting Facilitating Leisure? by Marie-Claude Du Cap, MRM ’02 Acadia University

2. Purpose • Purpose • This research focused on 1st year students living in residence and their perceptions of the impact of 24/7 access on their leisure satisfaction and lifestyle. • Provided an understanding of leisure motivations, constraints, satisfactions, and choices of the students. • Helped to identify participants’ leisure activities and how Acadia University’s (AU) 24/7 access impacts their leisure satisfaction and lifestyle.

3. Significance of the Study • Little research has been done about the impact on the leisure satisfaction of computer users. • The omnipresence of both the computer and the Internet in the lives of the Acadia University students raises some questions • When developing and implementing the AA program, AU sought to “enhance its teaching and learning environment” (AU, 2001).

4. Significance of the study • A closer look of the literature on the impacts of the computer and the Internet on both the leisure environment and health of the users, questions are raised as to how the AA technology impacts the students’ leisure lifestyle and leisure satisfaction. • It is during youth that individuals develop their adult identity and leisure ways.

5. Methodology Recruitment • Advertisement • Snowball technique Participants • 9 first-year students who graduated from high-school the previous year and living in the Chase Court or Crowell Tower residences. The study consisted of three phases • initial interview • time-budget study • final interview

6. Methodology Data Analysis • Content of each transcript was coded by the researcher and an independent data coder. • Identification of 25 predominant themes. • Three sections: (1) Leisure in the Participants’ Lives, (2) The Computer in the Participants’ Lives (3) The Impact of the Participants’ Social Environment on their Use of the Computer for Leisure Purposes

7. Findings Participants do not have a wide leisure repertoire • Participants do not appear to have a wide range of leisure activities. • Not interested in novelty • Computer could be a barrier to leisure diversity • Lack of leisure diversity could impact leisure interest

8. Findings Participants’ boredom • Do not see much to do at AU and in Wolfville • Lack of information • Lack of leisure diversity could impact their passivity • Computer is an easy time filler • Being alone on the computer could contribute to boredom

9. Findings Participants need to be present in their virtual community (VC) • Mostly used for communication and socialisation purposes • Multi-tasking • Direct and indirect use of the computer • Computer could be a barrier to optimal leisure • Only at AU

10. Conclusion Computer holds potential to enhance leisure • Socialisation • Communication • Can assist in leisure organisation and leisure planning

11. Conclusion Participants do not perceive an impact of the computer on their leisure satisfaction and leisure lifestyle • Not aware of the potential of leisure (benefits) • Loss of the benefits of the accompanying activities.

12. Conclusion Participants could be more satisfied in their leisure • Do not actively consider their needs (momentary feelings) • Not proactive in pursuing leisure satisfaction • Decision of using the computer is not the most satisfying one • Not aware of leisure benefits • Lack a leisure lifestyle

13. Conclusion Impact of the study • Development of an awareness of computer use and its impacts • More conscious of their leisure decisions • Possible role for leisure services providers