At the stage of quantitative research, the extent and major trends of the engagement and participation of the society members and other stakeholder groups in building Collective Intelligence were explored. The selection of the respondents was undertaken by respecting general rules of a random stratification sample and the specifics related to the participation in the process of building Collective Intelligence. The respondents were selected according to the following criteria: the initiators of projects of indirect communication, potential and/or current participants of the process of Collective Intelligence formation (both passive and active) and others. In order to achieve statistical sample and the credibility of data collection procedures, services of a public opinion and market research company have been used to deliver surveys of at least 1000 sample of respondents.
Purpose and objectives. To ascertain the scope and the content of Lithuania’s public involvement into activities of online socially-oriented communities, a representative interviewing of Lithuanian citizens has been carried out.
To achieve this purpose the following objectives were formulated:
− to measure the level of Lithuanian citizens” interest in social technologies and social networks;
− to learn the content of participation in activities of online communities;
− to measure the level of content with participation in virtual environments of indirect communication;
− to measure the level of satisfaction of the participation of environments of virtual indirect communication.
As the purpose of the social survey is cognitive and focuses on recognition of the social environment where the potential of Collective Intelligence concentrates on aspirations to learn the character of potential shapers of the Collective Intelligence, the idea to form any hypotheses have been abandoned and the analysis of the research data has been limited to a mere descriptive analysis.
Selection of respondents. The target group comprises of 15 to 74 year old citizens of Lithuania. To ensure research representativity, the interviewing was carried out by a market research company JSC Social Data Center between October 2013 and February 2014.
Quantitative Analysis Results
Profile of Frequent Internet User in Lithuania
63% of the respondents use the Internet at least once a week and more frequently, and approximately one third of Lithuania’s population of 15-74 year-olds use the Internet less frequently than once a month or does not use it at all. 44% of the research participants use the Internet on a daily basis. The Internet is used for work-related communication, to get general knowledge and news, carry out personal financial operations, for personal communication, entertainment and to gain specific knowledge/for the learning process (stated by 56-67% of the Internet users), and the Internet is used least frequently (stated by 21-26% of the Internet users) to express one’s opinion or share knowledge as well as for professional communication for personal needs. 61% of the Internet users (41% of all residents) use pages of online communities or social networks; one third (35%) of the Internet users visits them daily, one fifth (21%) of them visits these pages at least once a week. Therefore, the Lithuanian society’s common potential for the emergence of Collective Intelligence is far less than the residents' possibilities to participate in the activities of distant communication.
Main activities in the internet
The use of the pages of online communities or social networks and participation in their activities (one not only reads, is interested in, collects information, but also writes, comments, shares experience) are connected with the area of personal interest, hobbies (74% use the pages, 64% participate in their activities) and with studies/learning (26% use the pages, 19% participate in their activities). The communities and social networks are used to maintain contacts with acquaintances and find information on issues of one’s interest (64% and 44% of all responses, respectively), for entertainment (28% of responses) and for the search of information about goods and services (26% of responses). The least frequently mentioned purposes of using the Internet (1-3% of responses) include supporting ideas, joining initiatives or projects initiated by other people, making certain decisions (e.g., voting for some initiatives, choosing somebody to make a donation to, etc.). This practice illustrates a rather passive attitude of the Internet users towards the possibility to actively contribute to solving social problems raised by the active part of the society.
Main civic activities in the internet
What concerns the visibility of Lithuanian news portals and civic initiatives, it is established that the absolute leader among Lithuanian portals on the national level is the news portal Delfi.lt (reported as the best-known news portal by 84% of the Internet users). What concerns the regional leader, the visibility of local news portals is rather low (the visibility of the most frequently mentioned local news portals, including Vilniausdiena.lt, Kaunodiena.lt, Skrastas.lt, Kaunozinios.lt, does not exceed 7%), whereas the most well-known Internet project implemented online is Darom.lt (reported by 19%) and it is also the best-known online civic initiative (reported by 41%). However, only a few respondents know about and participate in the online civic initiatives (e.g., Lietuva 2.0.lt, Aš Lietuvai.lt) which have the most developed technologies enabling the emergence of Collective Intelligence.
Usage of socially oriented webpages
The Internet pages oriented towards solving social problems are used by 7% of all Internet users (5% of all residents). Those Internet users who do not know and do not participate in virtual activities oriented towards solving social problems most often state that this is not interesting or that they do not have time for such things. On the other hand, lack of such pages is not reported neither as the reason for not using them, nor as the specificity of the Internet (42% of those who use civic/social online initiatives think that there is no lack of the Internet pages, online communities or initiatives). These research results confirm that in the Lithuanian society until the present time there is still lack of civic activity and initiative.
Motivation to use the internet
Respondents most frequently get relevant information, expand their outlook on the Internet pages oriented towards solving social problems as well as find it interesting to read various articles and comments. Educational, social as well as ecological, environmental and climate change-related issues are the most topical for the users of the Internet pages. However, such reasons of using the Internet highlight respondents” passive participation rather than an active wish to contribute to the creation of intellectual values. The most valued aspects of the Internet use include the possibility to find the like-minded, expand one’s outlook, get to know more, get the information of one’s interest, have an opportunity to express one’s opinion, propose new ideas and initiatives, as well as get more objective information about different political or social issues. The top five best valued aspects are underlined by 20-29 year-old Internet users, students, pupils, single men and single women and by those who use the Internet pages of online communities and social networks.
Tthe relationships among virtual communities, social networks and sociely oriented webages users
The analysis results of the relationships among the pages of online communities, social networks and the Internet pages oriented towards solving social problems show that only 7% of all Internet users participate both in the activity of online communities and social networks and use the Internet pages oriented towards solving social problems. However, the majority (54%) use only the pages of online communities and social networks. Only 0,4% of all Internet users participate only in the activity of networks solving social problems. 38% of all Internet users do not visit either the former or the latter pages.
The users of virtual communities and social networks
What concerns participants of the emergence of Collective Intelligence, it is important to mention that the daily (“strong”) visitors of the pages of online communities and/or social networks can be called “young enthusiasts” (they are more frequently under 39 years old, have higher education, are students, pupils, single men and single women, families of three or four members, having a child, the research participants whose income per person per month on average exceeds 1000 Litas or the respondents who have not specified their income, and residents from the 3 major cities) and that they account for the biggest part of visitors of these Internet pages (56%). The percentage of “medium” and “weak” Internet users, who are slightly older than the young enthusiasts, is very similar, i.e., 24% and 20%, respectively.
Purposes to use virtual communities and social networks
“Strong” visitors of the Internet pages of online communities/social networks use the Internet more frequently in general and use it more often for almost all purposes, as well as are more frequently satisfied with most aspects of virtual communication. Similarly, those who use the Internet pages oriented towards solving social problems are more frequent users of the Internet (they also use the Internet pages of online communities/social networks more frequently), are satisfied with most aspects of virtual communication, and they use the Internet both for the purpose of personal communication and professional communication for personal needs.
Evaluation of virtual communication
Those who use civic/social online initiatives are most frequently satisfied with virtual communication while seeking to discuss or solve
social-political problems (the average of their satisfaction with virtual communication reaches 3,8 points from the total of 5 points). Both those who use the Internet pages oriented towards discussing and solving social problems and those who do not use them report similarly that while communicating virtually, there is lack of respect, communication culture, competence and participants” experience.
Main risks of virtual communication
The results of public opinion research shows that there some main reasons restricting citizens from active participation in public activities. Security is one of the most significant needs of the members of virtual communication networks. The majority of the Internet users (70%) agree that strict responsibility has to be foreseen against those members of online community who violate another person’s rights and that the administrators of these pages have to take responsibility for the contents spread via them. According to the respondents, the presented information has to be controlled by the administrators of these pages, whereas the activity of online communities has to be comprehensively regulated by legal acts. These respondents also agree that in virtual space there exists a problem of identity theft (e.g., a famous person’s fake profile or blog is created), as well as that the amount of intolerance and defamation is much bigger here than in real life.
