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The “Center
for the Digital Future” has determined 10
major Internet trends to mark the Web’s 10th anniversary
as a public phenomenon:
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“The
Digital Divide” in the U.S. is closing, but not yet
gone. And a new type of divide is emerging. Once
defined simply as those who have Internet vs. those
who do not, the divide is now between broadband
users and dial-up users – those with broadband use
the Internet more often and for a wider variety of
needs.
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Broadband is beginning a whole new Internet
revolution. It is changing Americans’ relationship
with the Internet—how often they go online, how long
they stay online and what they do online.
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For more
than 50 years, Americans spent the majority of their
free time watching television. But the more
experience they have with the Internet, the less
they watch TV.
-
The
Internet’s credibility is dropping. Most users only
trust information received from regularly visited
Web sites and pages created by established media and
government groups. Users do not usually trust
information on sites run by individuals.
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Fear of
online shopping is fading - while Americans are
still concerned about credit card security, the
intensity of the concern is less.
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The
Internet’s perception as a place for Geeks and Nerds
is dead. Rather than the Web negatively impacting
time spent interacting with other people, Internet
users are more socially active than non-users and
less alienated from others. Because of email and
instant messaging, the Internet has become another
tool to build relationships.
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While
the credit card security issue is less worrisome,
Americans are more concerned about the threat of
identity theft when they explore the Internet.
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The
Internet has become the number one source of
information for its users - the primary place they
go for research, general information, entertainment
listings, and information on hobbies, travel, health
and investments.
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Children’s use of the Internet is a big concern. The
Web opens a whole new world to children with
unknown, and often-dangerous, ramifications.
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Email
remains the single most important reason Americans
go online. Americans find email a wonderful
convenience. It offers a way to communicate more
often with a much broader circle of people than was
possible with telephone or regular mail.
The study
also ranked the 10 most popular Internet activities:
email, instant messaging, Web surfing, reading news,
hobby searches, entertainment searches, shopping and
buying, medical information, travel information
searches, tracking credit cards, and playing games.
After a
decade of observation, “The Center of the Digital
Future” has shown that the Internet is still changing
the way Americans spend their time, get information and
communicate. A nation that previously spent an extreme
amount of time engaged in a passive activity (watching
TV) is transferring more and more portions of that time
to an interactive activity (the Internet). Americans are
spending on average 12.5 hours per week on the Internet
- communicating, looking for information, and searching
for services, products or ideas. |
