Francesca_2

Hello.

I'm studying a master's degree in the Information Society and new technologies in UOC (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya).

I need to gather some information about the use that British expats do of forums. This is an essay required in one of the subjects I'm enrolled in.

At this stage, I don't still know if it may become part of a wider project such as a thesis,...

I'll appreciate it if you allow me to know your opinions about ITs. Do they come in useful?


Thanks a lot.

Francesca.

Kenwoodlad

Hi Francesca.

We're not ex-pats but hope to be one day when we retire. Are you only soliciting info from current expats or would you be interested in people who use the forums to get information to help them become expats?

Good luck with your project.

Rosemary

Could you help by coming up with some specific questions for us to answer.

Rosemary

bil

Especially as I reckon you will get more reasons than there are people on here.

snikpoh

Not quite sure what you mean by 'ITs' but if you want reasons why we use the forum, then here's a couple from me.

• SOME times there is a useful discussion on here which helps to understand the Spanish bureaucracy or points me in a direction to go find out.
• sometimes even I have some advice that may help others
• it's useful to keep in with using English. Where we are it is predominantly Spanish so it's nice to 'talk' English occasionally

bil

I'd add the social element, gossip, debate, and general info as well as the specifics to our situations here.

Francesca_2

Of course I'm also interested in people like you.
I'm preparing a survey and your contributions and opinions will be very helpfu.
Once it will be ready, I'll show it to you.

Thanks a lot.

Francesca_2

Thanks a lot for your ideas.
I'm preparing a survey and i'll try to be more specific.

Your opinions will be of great help.

Francesca_2

I'm preparing a survey and I'll try to be more specific.

Thanks a lot.

Francesca_2

I would have liked to write the last few weeks, but I’ve been up to my eyes in exams and essays these days.
Thanks to your comments I’ve been able to come up with some more specific questions. Here they are:
1. Do you think ‘age’ affects the use of new technologies?
 For example, focussing on young people.
1.1 For what purposes do teen British expats use new technologies? Just for chatting?
1.2 What personal circumstances have the teen British expats who live among us? Are all of them studying?
 Taking into account adult people.
1.3. For what purposes do older British expats use new technologies?
1.4.What personal circumstances have adult British expats who live
among us? Are all of them retired? (because I think this is a very
common topic in the area where I live).
2. Do you think that new technologies may one day replace conventional means as important as telephone or mail? In your case, can they even replace trips to the UK?

Thanks a lot in advance.

Francesca.

bil

As a crumbly,
1.3 I use new technology as little as possible. pc for surfing, shopping, email and skype. The most simple phone I can buy, sat nav and a freesat box. I'm not a gamer.

1.4 I'm retired

1.5 If by new technologies you mean as yet undiscovered stuff, anything is possible. If not, well, I'd rather email than snail mail, mobiles are unlikely to be replaced by anything else around as far as I'm concerned, skype is just another phone. I hate travel, and I loathe the Uk impartially, so I'd rather have root canal work than go back for a visit.

lynnxa

1.1- I have a teen & a nearly teen - they use technology for much the same as any teen anywhere I guess - chatting, homework, research for projects (probably in that order). The difference might be that they chat with friends who they met here & have since returned to whence they came, and in my 2's case, to their cousins in OZ - because my brother is also an expat

1.2 - both still school age

1.3 - I use it for work & pleasure, and to keep in touch with family & my OH when he is travelling

1.4 - I work here in Spain & my OH works abroad

2 - possibly - I certainly don't return to the UK to visit unless there is absolutely no other option

jay01

In reply to your questions I do not think age effects technology use, I think confidence does. I know many older people who are more than competent on modern technology but still prefer to do some things the old fashioned way just to say they can, what is the point of relying on say sat nav or GPS and then becoming stranded because your phone dies, when a map does the same thing, the only difference is that a GPS system means it is done for you and you loose the ability to help yourself.

The older person myself included although I am in the 40's bracket uses to keep in touch with friends, family and to in my case listen to radio stations that I can no longer get. I prefer not to buy over the net as I am old fashioned and think the if you do not use local shops you will eventually loose them, I visit the UK because I have to (see kids and parents) but there is very little else there that holds my interest.

You could say my partner and myself are retired but at mid 40's I am hardly elderly and I am able to work if I so wish, but our circumstance denote that it is not an essential to survive but a choice I can make.

Technology can replace anything if you are happy to loose the skills that pre-technology gave you but in loosing those skills should you ever need them or you find yourself in a position where technology is not available then your stuffed and potential put yourself at risk, so it is always a benefit to keep old skills, if you do not use them nothing lost, but should you need them and do not have them, then you may well be at a disadvantage.

Lynn R

1.3 I'm in my mid '50s and use my computer for email, shopping, researching and booking flights and hotels, general internet surfing, reading newspapers online. I consider myself reasonably competent in most commonly used applications, having used them on a daily basis in my former career. I have no interest in computer games or using Skype (having used it I quickly became impatient with the frequent connection problems and poor sound quality). I have a very basic mobile phone but rarely use it, although we do use a mobile to make calls to family and friends in the UK, via Voipcheap. I don't have a Kindle or other e-book as I prefer the real thing!

1.4 I'm early retired (without pension) by choice.

1.5 Highly unlikely. I like to visit the UK a couple of times a year to see family and friends, and shop, and wouldn't find technology an adequate substitute. Maybe if I lived further away (eg Australia) I would make more use of it.

jackytoo

I think you are having a laugh with the forum, surely educational standards haven't dropped off soo much as to call this a serious survey