The First Child-Generation on the Internet : A Qualitative Study on Childhood Experiences of Internet Use in the Early 2000s

The aim of the study was to explore internet use among individuals that were children at the beginning of the 2000s. We wanted to understand what being one of the first children on the internet meant to them, what type of platforms they used, how they used them and in relation to whom. These research questions were formulated: - What initiated children in the early 2000s to start using the internet and how did they interpret their own internet use? - What did children in the early 2000s do on the internet and how were internet platforms used? - How could children’s internet use in the early 2000s be understood in relation to a sense of belonging and group affiliation? To collect the material, we conducted four focus group discussions with Swedish and German adults, we then transcribed and analyzed the collected data with the help of a thematic analysis. We identified three main themes and seven subthemes. Our results indicated that the first child-generation on the internet enjoyed playing games and interacting with friends. The most popular platform among the participants was the chat forum MSN. The results also showed an increase in internet use due to its development in terms of better internet connection and the internet gaining a more acceptable place within the homes of the general public as well as within education. We also found that socioeconomic status had an impact on the children’s interpretations of the internet. Further our study showed that the use and the development of the internet had an important impact on the children, both in terms of maintaining relationships but also in terms of learning and bettering life prospects. Internet platforms were fun to use alone, as well as in the company of others. They were thus places where children could connect with other children with similar interests as themselves and gain a sense of belonging.