Slashdot Mirror
Only One Quarter of the Planet To Be Online By 2012
Stony Stevenson writes "Researchers are predicting that one quarter of the world's population will be connected to the internet within the next four years. According to the report by Jupiter Research, the total number of people online will climb to 1.8 billion by 2012, encompassing roughly 25 percent of the planet. The company sees the highest growth rates in areas such as China, Russia, India and Brazil. Overall, the number of users online is predicted to grow by 44 percent in the time period between 2007 and 2012." Is it just me or does that seem incredibly small?
It does seem small, but you have to consider that most of the world doesn't live up to 'industrialized' and 'information age' standards of living. Its actually a pretty incredible number.
Seriously, it's just you.
It breaks my pluginses, my precious!
... or do you not realize how poor most of the planet is?
Look at the tomato! Isn't it sad? He can't dance! Poor tomato!
Without seeing the survey I can't confirm this, but I would suspect that they are only counting Internet connections to the home or office. The number is much larger when you consider the number of people in developing and 3rd world nations who access the Internet in public venues, like cafes and libraries. But getting a good count here would be very complex.
...En að Besta Sem Guð Hefur Skapað Er Nýr Dagur
THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!!!
It's easy for us 1st world Westerners to forget what life is like most people in China, India, Africa, etc. Sure, things are getting better in those places, but that's only for the middle and upper class.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
About one quarter of the world doesn't have electricity. (1.6 B according to IEA, 2 B according to Greenpeace).
If you haven't been down-modded lately, you aren't trying.
Sacred cows make the best hamburger.
Isn't that all of us? I thought the Earth was covered by 75% water? iT
According to Wikipedia, there are 1.407 billion people online in 2008. So they're predicting a 30% increase over 4 years? Considering in the 1990s we would have had a 1500% increase over 4 years (again, using Wikipedia as a source: 100% increase per year), that seems remarkably underwhelming.
So then 4,294,967,296 addresses should be enough for everybody
mod me funny
The number of people online divided by the world's population is a not fair comparison. Think of all the infants and toddlers that aren't online because they are too young, or all the people who are too disabled to use the Internet. Even if you theoretically included the people who didn't have electricity or money to get onto the 'net in the calculation, it still doesn't make sense to include those who are otherwise not physically able to use a computer if they had one. I would like to see the percentage of people on the 'net relative to the number of people who CAN be on the yet, as in physically able.
I thank the overall literacy rate must be related to this - even abundant access to a computer won't mean much if you can't read. According to the OLPC website, "Most of the nearly twoâ"billion children in the developing world are inadequately educated, or receive no education at all. One in three does not complete the fifth grade." Also, let's not forget that much of the world does not have access to electricity on a regular basis. Also from the OLPC website: "...XO can be recharged by human power. This is a critical advance for the half-billion children who have no access to electricity."
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... in reality, it's incredibly large!
Having lived in what is effectively a third world country, South African, for about 15 years, one thing is painfully obvious when compared with life in a first world country. The vast majority of people have little to no access to electricity, let alone the internet!
It's very hard to understand this unless you witness it first hand - it's all to easy to think "but surely everyone needs to be on the internet?"
The reality is for most of humanity, the struggle to put food on the plate and shelter themselves is the main driving force in their daily lives.
I'm therefore suprised at how many people are online, not how few - completely the opposite reaction to the parent.
A slashdotting - you get the stick first and then the carrot !
Hookers!
But seriously...I don't need this stuff, and I don't need you. I don't need anything except this ashtray.
And that's it and that's the only thing I need, is this. I don't need this or this. Just this ashtray. And this paddle game, the ashtray and the paddle game and that's all I need. And this remote control. The ashtray, the paddle game, and the remote control, and that's all I need. And these matches. The ashtray, and these matches, and the remote control and the paddle ball. And this lamp. The ashtray, this paddle game and the remote control and the lamp and that's all I need. And that's all I need too. I don't need one other thing, not one - I need this. The paddle game, and the chair, and the remote control, and the matches, for sure. And this. And that's all I need. The ashtray, the remote control, the paddle game, this magazine and the chair.
And I don't need one other thing, except my dog.
[dog growls and barks]
I don't need my dog.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
Firstly you need to think of how many third world countries there are and also developed nations where there is a vast agricultural society where the internet is just an irrelevant "fancy" for city dwellers to keep themselves entertained. You and I might find the internet a necessary tool for our trades and daily lives but going back 20 or 30 years, could you see yourself becoming so dependent on such a device as a people? Instant information and communication have become woven into the very fabric of who we are but there are many more people out there that simply have no use for it. It steals idle time like heroin steals life. You only need to walk away from it for a few days, or hours in some cases, to feel its draw. Many that have fell into its grasp cannot free themselves, their very livelihood depends on it. For others, the majority it seems, it is simply a useless tool or senseless toy to occupy the minds of those who have access to it. To them it's as useful as a canoe is to a desert goat herder.
It is just you. There are literally billions of people who have not heard of WoW, a MacBook, or your parents' basement. There IS a whole world out there, you know, in that room outside the server room, where the sky is sometimes blue and sometimes black with little white led lights, where the HVAC is on the blink half the time. You know that big room?
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
I don't think you realize the true definition of poor.
No one is going to by an Eee on $3/day. No matter what the price.
Gone!
You jerk.But seriously...I don't need this stuff, and I don't need you. I don't need anything except this ashtray.
It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
1.8 billion people online is fantastic. Sure we want more, but let's not forget that a whole lot of people!
1.8 billion people communicating outside there immediate sphere of influence. The lower the bar to knowledge, the better the global society will be.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
that in 2008 only 50% of the planet will have a telephone.
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/med_tel_sub-media-telephone-subscribers
Most people in industrialized nations has access to TV today
There, fixed it for you.
You MUST live in poverty, to not be able to afford a "Y" or "O" key, or a comma key. Sucks to be you, perhaps we can get the UN to airdrop some keys to Anonymous Cowardisitan.
A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. -edward abbey