Information on the thesis

The thesis presents the result of sociological conceptualization of Internet
usage in everyday virtual life of its users in the framework of philosophical
dichotomy of mind and activity. The concept of virtual everyday life of Internet users
with unity of their conscious and behavioral acts, resulted in Internet-conscious and
Internet-practices, has been formed. The basic concepts that comprise this concept
have been defined and the main theoretical assumptions have been outlined, their
validity has been proved in author’s empirical study of the peculiarities of Internet
usage by students in their everyday life. Based on the obtained sociological
information the list of recommendations to improve management of Internet usage
and effectiveness of teaching at the growing trend towards virtualization and
transition into on-line learning after COVID-19’s pandemia.
In the first chapter – “Theoretical and methodological principles of studying
the peculiarities of Internet usage on the level of conscious” – the features of analysis
and interpretation of Internet users’ conscious in Sociology and Socio-Humanities as
well have been revealed. The set of assumptions has been elaborated which stand for
the first part of thesis’s theoretical framework concerning the investigation of modern
Internet usage on the level of users’ conscious; the concept “Net users’ Internet-
conscious” has been described, the structure of this concept with its main functions
and operation illustrated by a social group of students has been established. The
second chapter – “Internet-practices in everyday life of Internet users” – includes the
analysis of the concept “Internet-practices” in Socio-Humanities and also exposes its
specific character in Sociology. The classification of main types of Internet-practices
has been suggested; the second part of thesis’s theoretical basis in the form of
theoretical assumptions concerning everyday Internet-practices of the users focused
on students’ everyday virtual behavioral acts has been stated. In the third chapter –
“Applied research aspects of everyday Internet usage by Ukrainian students” – the
empirical findings of foreign and Ukrainian scientists in case have been given, its
comparative analysis to ground the feasibility of authors’ sociological researches has
been accomplished, the description, analysis and interpretation of the obtained data
have been performed, the recommendation to optimize students’ Internet usage and
adjust to teaching under the conditions of quarantine restrictions have been furnished.
The research findings within everyday Internet usage by the students of Ivan
Franko National University of Lviv have been given. The research is implemented on
the basis of the author’s elaborated theoretical assumptions of structural
functionalism and phenomenological paradigm Shtompka’s Sociology of Everyday
Life. Proceeding from this, virtual everyday life of Internet student-users is defined as
intersubjective everyday world of the subject which he interprets it in his conscious
and transforms it through Internet-practices while achieving the set aim. Two
categories of virtual everyday life of Internet student-users: 1) on-line category –
when he is on the Internet immediately with a certain aim or without it; he interacts
with other subjects, he creates the content actively or consumes it passively;
2) blended category – a user is off-line but he posseses a potential opportunity to
enter the Internet if he needs.
Employing Shtompka’s matrix of visual data, Internet is considered as an
additional context where virtualization of student-users’ everyday life through social
facets manifests: a subject is an Internet user, whose activity owing to its belonging to
a social group of students is being studied in three main domains: studies,
communication and leisure; the interaction occurs via virtual communication by
means of texting or video connection. The group where a subject interacts is an
Internet community, whose participants communicate exchanging information. In
virtual space new cultural and educational products are generated, the means of
students’ self-presentation and self-realization arise, namely: memas, games,
programmes, applications, accomplished learning assignments. All stated aspects
shape students’ Internet reality on the mesolevel, and everyday virtual reality of
individual students-users do on the microlevel. This virtual everyday life, which is
processed in the conscious of Net student-users, is envisaged as the system of
knowledge, evaluation, emotional reactions and motivation to act on the Internet and
off-line. Virtual everyday life of student life on the Internet forms and changes
through Internet-practices that are regarded as specific, routine students’ actions on
the Net, they have certain structure which is regulated by late experience, knowledge
abilities and skills, motivation.
After the findings of the sociological research a large discrepancy between
declared activity of the respondents on the Net and its real content has been detected.
Being questioned, the students of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv said that
they used the Internet with their studies most, but visual research methods (screen
shots’ content-analysis) denied this statement. Internet surfing, i.e. student’s
behavioral acts on-line where a student assumed a passive position of a consumer of
different content, took the first place. It was a dominant form of everyday students’
leisure. On-line learning yielded to all types of Internet-practices: active and passive
communication in social media, search for other information and virtual leisure.
The comparative analysis of students’ activity on the Net exhibited that
introduction of quarantine restrictions and transition into on-line learning led to the
increase of time spent on-line, but on the account of passive consumption of Internet
content. On-line learning activity has dwindled since the pandemia started.
The obtained findings have validated the elaborated concept of virtual
everyday life of Internet users and expediency to apply different methods. The latter
are relevant to two components of this virtual everyday life embodied in the case of
students’ virtual everyday life. While studying Internet-conscious the adaptive
principles of structuralism were applied and three components of this phenomenon
were drawn up – cognitive, emotional and evaluating and conative one that allowed
to embrace the conscious of the Internet user wholly. The Internet-practices also have
their structure with two components (on-line and off-line), but in contrast to structural
perspective it was more rational to apply the principles of Shtompka’s Sociology of
Everyday Life, because these guidelines allowed to analyze Internet-practices more
deeply, in the light of the real state of behavioural acts of Internet student-users. It
has been substantiated that verbal methods are more suitable for empirical
investigation of Internet conscious, namely questionnaires, whereas nonverbal
methods (observation) or content-analysis are largely used to explore Internet-
practices. The triangulation of these principles, methods and their real combination in
the empirical studies was executed in a number of sociological researches – both in
author’s and in joint ones.
Based on the obtained generalization and conclusion the complex of proposals
aimed at optimizing on-line learning and arranging Internet-practices of the students
of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv has been developed. The practical value
of the obtained findings consists in the prevention of Internet addiction, enhancement
of on-line educational process, students’ motivation and digitalization of learning
process in higher educational institutions.
Key words: Internet, virtual reality, virtual everyday life, Internet conscious,
Internet-practices, on-line learning.