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10 January 2005

What you see is what you ask - more on Internet usage in the USA

Year 2000
Harris Interactive  started polling online US adults on their online activities by means of a nationwide telephone survey:

Thinking about what you do online, how often do you use the Internet, the World Wide Web or an online service to......: very often, often, sometimes, rarely, never

The results of the end 2004 survey (between the 9th and 14th of November)  are very much consistent with what is known.

The Internet's single most used function is sending and receiving email (66%, with 30% very often and 36% often).

Among browsing activities, the most frequently cited is to do research for work or school (46%, 18% very often, 28% often), followed by to check on news (43%, 16% very often, 27% often), to get info about a hobby or special interest (40%, 15% very often, 25% often), to gather info about products and services (38%, 14% very often, 24% often).

Two activities have grown significantly since the previous year:

  • to make travel plans or reservations (+ 11%, to 26%)
  • to look for information about health or diseases (+ 6%, to 21%)

All the other activities remain stable. 

Does that mean that online behaviour  has matured and become routine? Or is it that these surveys are missing important shifts and changes in the way the Internet is used?

It is unfortunate that the categories of online activity Harris Interactive used in 2000 have not evolved much over the years to include web publishing, participation in communities, collaborative projects and rating systems. The Internet is not like traditional top-down mass media. And its users shouldn't be reduced to consumers who access, search and find information; download games or software; go through payments and other administrative procedures. The issue is that not only Harris Interactive, but the large majority of surveys of online activities, use these same "passive" categories.

Posted at 03:39 PM in Information Society, Usage of the Web | Permalink

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