Investigating Limits to Meaningful Engagement on the Web using Web Tracking Data

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Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

School of Electrical Engineering | Master's thesis

Authors

Date

2025-02-28

Department

Major/Subject

Electrical Power and Energy Engineering

Mcode

Degree programme

Master's Programme in Automation and Electrical Engineering

Language

en

Pages

86

Series

Abstract

People use the internet daily for activities like reading the news, researching day to day topics, connecting with people on social media, or exploring various websites. This study looks at how much information users can process and remember when browsing different websites. It focuses on cognitive load, the mental effort needed to understand and retain information, and memory retention, which is how much people can recall after engaging with online content. Since the brain has limits on how much information it can handle at once, this thesis explores users’ browsing routines to determine the number of websites they can meaningfully engage with in a single session and the factors that influence these interactions. Using anonymized web tracking data, this research studies how demographic factors like age, gender, and income, as well as device type (desktop vs. mobile), affect internet browsing patterns. It also examines how browsing habits vary during weekdays and weekends. By analyzing this data, the study aims to understand the limits of how many unique web domains users can actively engage with. The findings show that web engagement varies based on different characteristics. Some users explore a wider range of websites, while others focus on fewer domains. Browsing habits also change depending on the time of the week, with more varied activity on weekdays compared to weekends. These differences suggest that cognitive factors, including attention and memory, play a role in shaping how people interact with online content. This research helps to explain how individuals manage their attention across multiple websites. It provides new insights into the limits of meaningful web engagement and shows how personal and external factors influence browsing patterns. By studying these behaviors, the thesis contributes to a better understanding of how people process and retain information in digital environments.

Description

Supervisor

Kulshrestha, Juhi

Keywords

web behavior, online routines, user engagement, demographics, browsing patterns, cognitive load

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Citation

Permanent link to this item

https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202505193795

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[dipl] Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulu / ELEC