Use of Social Media and Online Tools in German Science, 2013 Survey

A 2013 survey by Daniela Pscheida of Technische Universität Dresden examines the professional and private use of online tools and social media within German universities and research institutions. It covers usage frequency, active/passive engagement with Web 2.0 applications, and tool deployment across research, teaching, administration, and communication activities. Demographic details include age, gender, highest academic degree, job function, discipline, and the duration of scientific work.

Use Cases

• Analyze adoption rates of specific tools like Twitter or Mendeley based on academic discipline mentioned in the description
• Model the relationship between demographic factors like age or academic role and professional social media use described in the survey
• Compare active versus passive usage patterns for applications like wikis or content-sharing services detailed in the topics
• Study attitudes towards internet and social media and their correlation with reported usage frequency in scientific work

Strengths

• Survey covers a wide range of specific online tools and applications, including social networks, scientific networks, and content-sharing services
• Includes detailed demographic and professional background variables for respondents, such as academic degree, function, and discipline
• Data captures both usage behavior and psychological scales like Privacy Concerns and Computer Self-Efficacy

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Data is from a single year (2013) and may not reflect current technology use patterns

Provenance

Source

Daniela Pscheida, Technische Universität Dresden

Collection Method

Survey conducted at German universities and research institutions.

Time Range

2013

Geography

Germany