Internet Search Roles of Adults in their Homes

ABSTRACT

Internet search is one of the major activities that American adults engage in online. Building on studies of youth Internet search roles, this paper investigates adults' online information seeking processes within the home. Through in-home interviews and observations of search task performance with 40 adult participants, we identify and describe characteristics of 9 search roles. By comparing these roles with those of youths, we explain how previously identified roles, such as Power Searcher and Social Searcher, have evolved in adult populations, and how new roles, such as Efficient Searcher and Interest-driven Searcher, have emerged. We also review the challenges and benefits associated with search roles and their potential impacts on search performance. The findings of this study provide a better understanding of how contextual factors influence search roles in relation to ELIS, what can be learned from search roles, and opportunities to support different search roles.

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Index Terms

• Human-centered computing

  • Collaborative and social computing

    • Collaborative and social computing systems and tools

• Information systems

  • Information retrieval

  • World Wide Web