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Social Side-Effects Of Internet Use
venicebeach writes "The World Internet Project has released its third annual report on internet usage. It contains few surprises, but lots of interesing stats - for example the most experienced internet users spend an average of 15.8 hours online per week. CNN is running a story on the social findings - "New study shatters Internet 'geek' image." Apparently they are suprised to hear that internet users are more social than non-users: internet users watch less television, read more books and engage in more social activities."
Considering that the average American watches four hours of television per day, I'm not sure the average person has much time left for socializing. Anything that reduces the amount of TV watched, including using the Internet, is likely to improve how social that person is.
That's more like my daily Internet use :-)
/.er is in?
I wonder what percentile the average
John.
internet users watch less television, read more books and engage in more social activities.
Next week, we'll hear that it's recently been discovered that internet users simply lie for the purposes of polls and statistics more than non-users do, and those that don't lie outright simply know how to crack the World Internet Project's records and alter their annual reports to be more favorable to the 'net-bound...
"Linux doesn't exist. Everyone knows Linux is an unlicensed version of Unix"- Kieren O'Shaughnessy
The credibility of information published on the Internet also received a surprising boost.
Despite the existence of countless spoof Web sites and message boards that carry oddball political rants, more than half of Internet users surveyed said "most or all" of the information they find online is reliable and credible.
New medium, same gullibility.
Sent from your iPad.
I got a wife and kid now. :)
Met my wife on IRC 6 years ago. We now have our first kid and have been married 3.5 years.
And I probably spend 10 hours a day online. :P
Sugapablo
I used to be an anti-social geek until I discovered the internet. Upon discovering how easy it is to communicate with people when not face to face, I learned to like people and interact with them. I was able to hide any apprehension, and by subverting this I gained real confidence in myself. This of course translated over well to the real world, and now I consider myself a people person. And no one thinks I am a geek. So this article comes as no surprise to me, and I'm sure that I'm not the only person in this boat.
I would be really interested to see a study seeking to find a link between internet usage and awareness/involvement in current events.
Many of my friends who aren't on the internet very much are always asking me what's going on in the world. Though I am not sure if it is internet users or memigo users.
-Jackson
"internet users watch less television,"
Download the episodes...
"read more books"
And/or lots of Linux docs...
"and engage in more social activities"
Do LAN Parties count?
Who doesn't like free music?
This is the same effect that has been discussed here often. Heavy internet users are likely to be people who are interested in life. They want to learn, do new things, try new things, know how things work..
The article is not clear about it, but I would guess they did not adjust for Socio-Economic Segments (SES). SES would reflect mainly an individual's income and education level.
Internet usage of course begun in the higher SES levels (having started mainly in the academic world) -- and has ever since penetrated more the top levels than the bottom ones (this has in turn given risen to the term digital divide). On the other hand, guess which SES reads more books and has a richer social experience ?
Quem a paca cara compra, paca cara pagará.
Yeah, I am in the same ball-park.
16hrs per day (sitting in front of a PC)
= 112hrs/week
I wonder if that includes all the remote boxes I have going at once.
4 SSH sessions to other servers running 24x7
2-3 ftp sessions d'loading shareware ~ 12 hrs/day
NewsBin D'loading newsgroups = 24x7
BitTorrent = 24x7 (x 3 computers)
email client is running 24x7
various coding and design stuff = 4hrs/day
All total I am responsible for 232Hrs/day of computer use. Man, I need a nap. =)
"The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." ~Plato (427-347 BC)
I get so tired of this assumption that just because a person reads a lot, they are automatically more intelligent. I happen to read quite a bit, but I know people who spend way more time than most people watching TV, yet are very intelligent. Specifically, I know of a college professor that could out debate anyone on Crossfire, and does nothing all evening but watch History and PBS.
Also, what's with the assumption that any reading material is automatically more valuable than any television show? I can learn more watching 30 minutes of TLC, Discovery, A&E, Biography, History Channel, or PBS than I can in spending three hours reading whatever trash Oprah is recommending this week. I do agree that reading increases vocabulary, but I would also argue that television is much more conducive to other areas of learning, as it delivers its message via sight and sound.
As for the social aspect, many of us are forced into social situations all day long. We do not need to spend our times outside of the office, carpool, school, college, whatever to increase our social skills. However, we do need "alone time" so that we can regroup and prepare for the next day.
Public use of any portable music system is a virtually guaranteed indicator of sociopathic tendencies. -- Zoso
John Bender: So it's social then. Pathetic and sad... but social.