The Web Use Project is Eszter Hargittai's research group at Northwestern University.  The core focus of the work in this group is on how people use the Web in their everyday lives and in particular, how differences in Internet use may contribute to social inequality, broadly defined.

Started during Hargittai's Ph.D. studies at Princeton University (1997-2003), the group has grown into an enterprise with external funding, several papers published each year, numerous invited talks delivered at educational institutions and to industry audiences, in addition to several conference presentations given annually.  The group hosts several graduate students and undergraduate research assistants in addition to project staff and occasional visitors and interns.

Current projects are made possible by generous funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation through its Digital Media and Learning Initiative, the National Science Foundation, in addition to institutional support from Northwestern University.

Our work uses whatever methodology is best suited to answer questions of interest to us including both quantitative and qualitative analyses.  We have collected several unique data sets, but also draw on secondary sources when appropriate ( e.g., we have worked with the Current Population Survey's Computer and Internet Use Supplement, and Hargittai was part of the team that worked on the General Social Survey's Internet Module).

See our papers and talks for details about our current and past work.