In the last few weeks a survey done by Pew Internet and American Life Project has received a great deal of attention, and does give us an interesting glimpse into the internet activity of those who respond.
First, we have to understand that the respondents who answer such a questionnaire are far from unbiased – the fact that they were even aware and willing to participate indicates they have a deeper interest in all things internet than others.
But…here are some interesting findings:
1. Clearly these leading edge adopters of technology didn’t feel overwhelmed with the ton of information and technology now available to us with more than 75% indicating that computer and technology give people more or at least NOT less control over their lives.
2. Use of the internet for email and browsing has plateaued – sitting between 70-80% for the last several years. New applications are where it gets interesting…
3. We’re looking at the very beginnings of the mobile device convergence with computer and TV – still sitting at below 10% adoption for most of these services (ex. watching TV clips on mobile phone)
4. Blog publishing is coming on strong – a full 8% of those surveyed has actively published their own blog. Although there is no historical comparison, we can bet that this has increased substantially over the last couple of years. Sharing information online is also rated very high – at 19% (where someone has shared a picture or video online through an upload site or their own webpage)
5. Here’s a very interesting response (*NOTE* someone should pick up on this and turn it into a product or service such as a monthly newsletter, video of the month, or membership site) – Biggest concern cell phone and smart device owners have is that there are more functions and things they could be doing with their devices than they are using. So – for this audience at least – they are NOT overwhelmed by the technology, but simply feel they would like more information and education on how to use their devices.
You can download the full Pew Internet Survey Report for free here…it’s an interesting snapshot into technology adopter attitudes online.
Jeff
