Britain's Got Telnet - 78% of Country Now Online
More of us are online, but we feel pretty meh about it
The number of Britons going online has soared in the last decade, but the majority do so without enthusiasm.
That’s the conclusion of the latest report from Oxford Internet Surveys of our national internet use, which identifies five groups:
- Cyber-moderates, who use the internet but had no strong feelings either for or against it (37%)
- Adigitals, who felt the internet was taking over their lives and invading their privacy (14%)
- Techno-pragmatists, who viewed the internet as a tool for efficiency (17%)
- E-mersives, who use it for both work and entertainment (12%)
- Cyber-savvy, who had felt efficient and happier but also frustrated and worried (19%)
The use of social networks has also levelled off since 2011, with 60% of Britons who are online making use of them. Whether this indicates a fad that has now peaked, or is the result of other factors such as negative media coverage, is undetermined.
Despite their popularity, smartphones have not replaced computers for internet access. Mobile access has risen, but only 34 of the 2,083 respondents use a tablet or smartphone as the sole means of access.
Instead, the trend is for using multiple devices, with two-thirds (67%) going online using more than one means of access.
The report shows a sharp rise in internet access for lower income groups, but one in five people remain offline through lack of interest. There is scant evidence that they are opposed or restricted from going online - rather, the internet is not important to them.
For the full article, see here.
Photo (cc) Mikael Altemark
