Explicit data of internet users: validity and deception disclosure

Abstract

This study is focused on validation of the explicit data provided by Internet users for the prediction of required on-line content. Content prediction represents the core of on-line personalization process. Whether explicit data quoted by users reflect the reality analyze this research. Research participants (n = 32) filled the electronic questionnaire in and were monitored to validate questionnaire data. The frequencies of overall weekly on-line time and doing particular on-line activity are measured. Evaluated on-line activities are: on-line communication including sharing, reading on-line news, on-line entertainment and information search. Frequency of Internet use was determined as the respondents estimation of the time spent on-line in hours per week. Five zero hypotheses were proposed and tested with Wilcoxon non-parametric paired test. Hypotheses were accepted in cases of total frequency of Internet usage, on-line communication, entertainment and information search. Respondents mostly differ in estimation of reading on-line news frequency. Frequency of reading on-line news the null hypothesis was rejected. In all cases of difference, respondents overestimated frequency weekly.