- Saturday, 28 November 2009
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I'm against piracy, whether it's on the High Sea or the High Street - Adamson Rust
Internet grows up
RESEARCH RELEASED today shows that the age of internet users is maturing alongside the ever growing uses of this technology.
The report issued by the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA) shows that us Europeans are widening our use of the internet by expanding from leisurely activities to managing our daily lifestyles.
Over half of us are now on the net every day – 75 percent of us in the evening and just over half at the weekend - highlighting that it is not just office-based browsing.
The report also outlines that freedom and flexibility are key watchwords for today’s consumers as almost half of us are now using wireless devices to access the web.
The top 10 activities people are doing more because of the Internet include keeping in touch with friends and family, managing finances, keeping up to date with current affairs and booking holidays.
Five Years of Rapid Growth
|
2008 Study |
2004 Study |
Growth |
|
|
Weekly internet use |
60% |
47% |
+28% |
|
Weekday internet use |
59% |
47% |
+25% |
|
Weekend internet use |
51% |
39% |
+31% |
|
Time spent online per week |
12.0 hours |
8.8 hours |
+ 36% |
|
Days spent online each week (average) |
5.6 |
4.9 |
+14% |
|
Proportion online every day |
55% |
40% |
+38% |
|
Proportion of heavy internet users |
28% |
17% |
+65% |
|
Broadband penetration rates |
80% |
56% |
+43% |
While previous reports have highlighted peaks of growing popularity amongst the 16-24’s and the older generation this report reveals a wider spectrum of us are using the internet with 25-34 year olds collectively driving recent growth.
Time spent online has risen amongst this age group from 13 hours a week last year up to 13.9 today – on average this age group spends 16 hours or more online each week and almost two thirds are online daily.
This age group has been dubbed the ‘Golden Youth’ life-stage as they are believed to be happier, more confident and more financially secure – making them perfect targets for advertisers, the table below shows how online spending has changed.
E-commerce
|
2008 Study |
2004 Study |
Growth |
|
|
Online research to purchase conversion rate |
87% |
50% |
+74% |
|
Researched online |
97% |
80% |
+21% |
|
Bought online |
84% |
40% |
+110% |
|
Researched online, bought offline |
85% |
57% |
+49% |
Michael Kleindl, Chairman of the EIAA and Managing Partner of Valkiria Network said, “The growing accessibility of the internet and its adaptability and potential to develop in line with changing consumer wants and needs has been a key driver of growth in recent years.”
The research was managed by SPA and conducted by both Synovate and Research Now. µ
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EIAA
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"In more ways than one"

That is a point which the study does NOT show.

First, let's not confuse the World Wide Web (WWW) with the Internet. The Internet is far more than the WWW. The WWW is a subset of the Internet.

The study does not show what people can actually do with their Internet access. It does not show whether they can run their own e-mail server, their own web server, game server, etc., or rely on third parties to provide this service. Making information or a service available on your own computer is quite different from having to ask a third party to do that for you.

For instance, who owns the copyright over a picture if you put it onto a third party's web server? May a third party put ads into your mail messages if you have to rely on the third party's mail server?

I think defining "Internet access" needs to be done first. IMHO people do NOT have Internet access if the traffic is partly blocked, or even completely from the Internet to the customers computer to prohibit the Internet user from providing services over the Internet.
I find it amusing that no where in this article did they mention pr0n- the most sought-after 'resource' on the intranetz.
"making them perfect targets for advertisers"

Au contraire, the more net-savvy user will be more aware of how to block all those unwanted ads and will seek out ad-free sources of information. Less ad-supported drivel on the net can only be a good thing.
It would be interesting to see the number influenced at all by internet ads, although you should then first point out to people that there are many kids of ads, like for instance a monthly filling of a tech site with articles from the 'intel developer forum' to fill people's mind with the company's name, and if they actually read any article, their products and 'wonderfulness'.
(intel is just a random example, many companies pay review/tech sites to mention them or 'test' their products obviously.

And yes the absence of any mention of sex in a survey about internet use is in fact a noticeable omission.