Patterns of Web 2.0 tool use among young Spanish people

Web 2.0 tools have gained strategic importance in personal, social and educational contexts. In this study, we analysed the use made by 757 Spanish students of 10 Web 2.0 tools, namely wikis, blogs, Moodle, Google Docs, Google Reader, Google Maps, Skype, Flickr, YouTube and general or personal social networks. To this end, we administered an online questionnaire, the HEWE2.0, designed using the Google Docs application, to explore five questions: (i) what information, knowledge and training the subjects had, (ii) how they used the tools: difficulty, preference and satisfaction, (iii) when and where they used them, (iv) why they had begun to use them, and (v) what they used them for. We performed two types of analysis, one descriptive and the other multivariate, using the General Linear Model. The results show specific patterns of response according to sex, educational level and age. We found that female subjects showed a greater preference for social tools than males, who preferred instrumental tools; that the higher the subjects' educational level, the more information they possessed about Web 2.0 tools; and that functional knowledge about those tools requiring greater digital competence increased with age and vice versa. The implications of these results are discussed and evaluated. The variables that influence the use made of Web 2.0 tools by young people were studied and analysed.Young Spanish people are more familiar with YouTube than other Web 2.0 tools such as wikis or blogs.Vocational education and training students have received most information and formal training on Web 2.0 tools.Males have a higher level of functional knowledge of Google tools than females.Females report a greater intention to use YouTube and social networks in the future than males.