Segment: Digital Immigrants – Post-material Skeptics

Internet milieu: Post-material Skeptics (10%) – 6.7 million

Post-material Skeptics have an ambivalent relationship with the Internet: On the one hand, they like the information and convenience the Internet offers. On the other, they have doubts about virtualization, globalization and the faith being placed in progress. This Internet milieu is not technophobic. But members of this group do not want techno- logy to dominate their lives and intend to maintain control of them.

A conscious approach to media is essential to Post-material Skeptics: They reject the growing in- filtration of technology into daily life that is occurring as part of a general “acceleration mania” and assume a distant, culturally critical attitude toward the entire consumption- and media-driven society. But this also includes an examination of its challenges. This milieu does not include the laggards, and its use of the Internet is slightly above average – even if it is very selective: Above all, the members of this milieu are interested in the information and communications options available to them on the Web.

The members of this group cover a wide span of ages (20 years to 60 years) and are frequently part of the environmentally conscious mainstream. They lead a sustainable lifestyle and are prepared to give up something at once and put their needs on hold if they think that certain behavior will have a negative social and environmental impact over the long term.

Post-material Skeptics have doubts about online security and protection of personal data. They mistrust commercial providers as well as government agencies (fear of manipulation and monitoring). This milieu believes that many users are too careless and naive in handling their personal data, particularly in social networks. For this reason, their concept of responsibility primarily focuses on improving the media and Internet skills of individual users. In doing so, they place their faith in the responsibility of free citizens. In this regard, the government should provide support through public- service and education campaigns, but not create control mechanisms in the form of laws and censorship that could hurt democracy in the Web.

Post-material Skeptics believe that the opportunities and potential offered by the Internet (i.e., freedom of expression) do indeed require institutional security mechanisms – but they think it is a job for autonomous organizations. They think non-government organizations are in the best position to ensure transparency and uncover problems and security gaps as part of their public-service activities. This approach could create trust by casting doubt on the improbable guarantee of 100 percent security that places blind faith in the system. They think that systemic measures can only provide information about security gaps and strengthen individual responsibility. But they cannot take the place of the individual user’s own responsibility.

Internet milieu: Post-material Skeptics (10%) – 6.7 million

Attitude profile

Internet milieu: Post-material Skeptics (10%) – 6.7 million: Attitude profile

Communication requirements and needs for action

  • Search for services provided by authentic, non-commercial institutions that guarantee transparency and systematically strive to educate the public
  • Confidence building through education and proactive steps to increase transparency (self-imposed regulations, external audits and controlling)
  • Improvement of the public’s competence to use the Internet

                                        

* Self-evaluation on a scale of 1 = “beginner” to 6 = “expert”
** Agreement with the statement “personal data on the Internet is very secure/secure”