A report last month by the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that although price is a barrier for dial-up users in switching to broadband, one-third of those without a ‘net connection simply aren’t interested in e-mailing or exploring the Web.
To those poor people still on dialup who won’t have seen how to turn a gasmask into a kazoo due to their connection speeds, cost is still a big hindrance. And in a truly head-scratching moment, 20% didn’t want to upgrade.
The report’s author, John Horrigan, puts it into a better perspective, as low-income and older Americans account for most of the non-users, whose median age is 61.
“In moments of technological change, whether it be electricity or television, a certain segment of the population seems to hold out and say, ‘I’m just fine with my outhouse’ or ‘Who needs a phone line?’ ” says Ben Scott, policy director for Free Press, which runs the Internet for Everyone initiative in Washington. “That doesn’t mean that those people are misinformed or misguided. It’s just the natural progression of technology adoption.”
Of the 305 million residents of the States, 190 million Americans used the internet in December.
Source: USA Today
Published: Feb 4, 2009 04:00 pm