Born to Surf
According to the United States Census Bureau, in 1984, the proportion of households with a computer was 8 percent. In 2001, that number went up to 56 percent. Then in 2003, it was reported that approximately 70 million American households (or 62%) had one OR MORE computers. Data collected also shows that during that time, Internet usage didn’t really come into play until 1997 with about 18% of American households using it. by 2003, the number of households using the Internet had almost tripled since 1997.
Not everyone uses computers, however. Despite the increased popularity of owning a computer and/or using the Internet, it was discovered that 35% of households with people ages 65 and older did not have computers/Internet access. Also, 45% of Black or Hispanic households did not have it either, while another 28% of households with people who had less than a high school education didn’t have computers/Internet access.
In 2003, 45% of households did not have Internet access at home. The three most common reasons as to why this was so included:
- “We don’t need it and/or not interested.” (appx. 39%)
- “It costs too much and/or I don’t have a computer.” (appx. 23%)
- “We have access to the Internet elsewhere.” (appx. 2%)
There is also the thought among many parents that they do not want access to the Internet for fear that their children will use it inappropriately. Interestingly enough, there is a correlation of disinterest in the internet with age. Of the 20 million household members that the U.S. Census Bureau interviewed, who stated that they weren’t interested in the Internet, over 60% were 55 years of age or older.
Overall, the results show that the Internet has become a valuable source of news and communication. For example, there are statistics which show that more people send emails versus talk on the phone or text message. Additonally, the Internet has become a valuable economic tool with more Americans looking for jobs, shopping and selling things online, and it’s continuing to grow! For more information about Internet marketing, visit Create Business Growth.
April 02 2008 02:00 am | Social Networking and Time Management and Using Technology
Terra Andersen on 02 Apr 2008 at 6:50 pm #
Thanks for sharing that information… very helpful to us marketers! *=)
Born to Surf the Net | barovci.com on 03 Apr 2008 at 11:18 am #
[...] seems like nowadays, people are born to surf. That is, the number of households that have a computer now compared to ten years ago has [...]