Even though the Internet has become a key tool for accessing services, getting an education, finding jobs, getting the news, keeping up with people you know and much more, one in five U.S. adults still does not use the Internet at all, according to a new Pew report. Why? Mostly they're just not interested -- not in the Web, e-mail, YouTube, Facebook or anything else that happens online.
"Among current non-internet users, almost half (48%) say the main reason they don't go online now is because they don't think the internet is relevant to them -- often saying they don't want to use the internet and don't need to use it to get the information they want or conduct the communication they want," said the report. The respondents' next-most common reasons were that they don't have a computer or that it's too expensive, too difficult, or a waste of time.
Most Americans who don't currently go online have never gone online before -- and no one else in their household uses the Internet. Just over 20% of non-users say they know enough about technology to start going online if they wanted to, and only 10% said they're interested in using the internet or e-mail in the future.
In this day and age, when computers are at the crux of everything we do, the statistics are amazing. So who are these people?
According to the Pew Report, 59% of seniors in the United States don’t go online. A very large percentage of adults who never completed high school don’t use the Internet, either. Those with incomes of less than $30000 are unlikely to ever go online while about 50% of those with a disability will not use the Internet. In terms of ethnicity, Pew reports that the divide between the whites and minorities who use computers is dwindling but there are still about 40% of US adults who do not even have broadband at home.
In fact, after U.S. home broadband penetration peaked in May 2010 to cover 66% of U.S. adults, in the past year there's been a slight decline. As of August 2011, only 62% of U.S. adults had broadband at home -- a 4% drop. Not surprising, though, is the fact that it’s the older people, those with a lower income or those with a disability who do not have broadband.
However, it has been shown that mobile devices are making a dent in the U.S. digital divide. “Groups that have traditionally been on the other side of the digital divide in basic internet access are now using wireless connections to go online," said the report. "Among smartphone owners, young adults, minorities, those with no college experience, and those with lower household income levels are more likely than other groups to say that their phone is their main source of Internet access."
Many of these "cell mostly" users have other ways to get online, such as a desktop or laptop computer. However, a third of these people don't have home broadband -- and their smartphone is the main way they access the internet.
Mobile devices also tend to make people more avid Internet users. "Once someone has a wireless device, she becomes much more active in how she uses the internet -- not just with wireless connectivity, but also with wired devices," said Pew. "The same holds true for the impact of wireless connections and people's interest in using the internet to connect with others.
These mobile users go online not just to find information but to share what they find and even create new content much more than they did before."
It’s amazing to think that in this day and age that people just don’t have the technology that we take for granted. Do you think that the Internet will become more prevalent in homes or do you think that the decline in broadband access will continue to decline?
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