Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

A Quarter of the EU Has Never Used the Web

Posted by samzenpus on from the what's-all-this-then? dept.

smitty777 writes "Reuters reports that a quarter of the EU has yet to use the internet. Further, half of those in some of the southern and western states do not even have internet access at home. From the article: 'As well as highlighting geographic disparities across one of the world's most-developed regions, the figures underline the lack of opportunity people in poorer communities have to take part in advances such as the Internet that have delivered lower cost goods and service to millions of people.' The full report created by Eurostat can be found here."

8 of 392 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Internet at home by InsightIn140Bytes · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't see how that's a problem. In Asia lots of people just go to internet cafe, if they want to access internet. Likewise, they do so for everything. It's a cultural thing. You want to do something? You go to place that offers that service. And they aren't pricey either, it's damn cheap. I kind of like that style too, it makes it social.

  2. It would be nice to see more data about age by Hast · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The article (and report) conclude that "24 percent of 16-74 year olds across the 27 countries in the European Union have never accessed the Internet". Meanwhile in the parts of the EU with the highest Internet use (such as in the Scandinavian countries) the rate of Internet access (ie people who actively use the Internet, not people who've used it only once) is in the 90%.

    I would assume part of the reason for the statistic is that 16-74 is a pretty big age span. Particularly when it comes to new technology. It wouldn't surprise me if the "never used internet" population is almost entirely in the 50+ age bracket. Unfortunately the article, and report, doesn't give that information.

  3. No, it isn't by Kupfernigk · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The EU is, exactly, a relationship of States, bound together by treaties and with two political structures to maintain the relationship. The difference between the US and the EU is the powers delegated to the States, but the US also has two structures (the Federal Government and the representative government). In English English - i.e. the sort that still, for now, is used in the EU, we refer to the "British State" because "country" is inappropriate - the British State comprises four countries. In EU documents the word "states" is used.

    Not all the world is the USA, and you do not have a monopoly on enforcing the meaning of words.

    --
    From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
  4. Re:Wikipedia by fuzzfuzz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Or they use the English Wikipedia - I'm from Denmark and I don't know anyone using the danish Wikipedia. Why use it if the same info is already available in another language you understand?

  5. A lot of EU countries are less developed by fantomas · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The EU has a wide spread of countries, and development levels. Rural Romania has a different level of wealth and technology infrastructure than urban Finland, for example.

    You make a good point about trust as an issue why some people might not take up internet use. My 77 year old father here in the UK does not go shopping online. I think part of this is lack of trust with the novel (to him) environment. Also, he doesn't need to go online. All his local services are within a few kilometres and he likes doing business in person. He is retired, so he can go to the bank and shops during quiet times of the day. Some people don't need the internet, or if they have access to it, choose not to use it.

    For some people in Europe it is technical infrastructure. Check out a map of Europe and you will find that there are large areas where there is low speed or little access to the internet - modem speed access or maybe no access to fixed line telephones or mobile coverage. In Scotland, there is better coverage for 3G phones in the seas around the country than on the surface area of the land (internet is usually ok up to 2Mbs via land line in this country).

    For quite a number of people in Europe, they cannot afford the cost of an internet connection. Check out prices in some of the lower developed European countries compared to state pension levels for example. For the young, employed, urban Europeans in highly developed countries internet costs are low compared to income, but for many others this is not the case.

    1. Re:A lot of EU countries are less developed by ahotiK · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You have a good point. I actually live in Sweden one of the top tier countries but I was born and lived most of my life in Romania so I kind of know how the situation looks like. The problem with those statistics is that everything is showed in percent. 90% of Sweden's population is still less than 50% of Romania's population if you think of the number of individuals. Then again Sweden is indeed a more developed and richer country as are most of the west European countries. As the previous comment says people living in the rural parts of east and southern European countries have other, bigger problems to deal with in the everyday life that using the Internet. Most of those people can't afford the luxury of an Internet connection or a computer for that matter and there aren't Internet Cafes in all those remote Transylvanian villages for them to go to. Some of those remote mountain villages don't even have (or maybe they have now but didn't for a couple years ago) electricity or a telephone line, so for them the web is a thing of science fiction.

  6. Re:Internet at home by Stalks · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It doesn't say half the population. It clearly states half of "some southern and western states".

    Lack comprehension much?

  7. Re:Been on the Internet since mid 80-ies by Rockoon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There still are ample media available for you to live an informed life without using the Internet.

    People with internet have invariably canceled their newspaper subscriptions. Once you drop the local newspaper, you've lost local news. The internet seriously does not provide the same sort of information availability for local coverage.

    So we now have large demographics that have no clue whats going on locally. I travel through the neighboring town and occasionally I see lawn-signs up saying "vote no!" You think my friends who live in that town have a clue what thats about? No, they don't. Not even a hint of an idea about it, which is probably why they dont bother to vote.

    I set up Google News to give me stories that mention my town, and that turns out to be nearly worthless. You simply wont find anything about that application for a liquor license, about the proposed repaving of west main street, about rezoning hill street and parker avenue, or about the shelter needing funds and volunteers desperately. Thats just whats going on this week.

    A generation worried about everywhere else.... out of sight, so out of mind. Whats going on in Far Away Place is now more important than whats going on in their own communities. They think the federal government is the solution to every problem because thats all they fucking know about.. they can go on worrying about crap on the other side of the planet that doesnt even affect them and that they also have no power to effect and when things turn sour locally they wonder why nobody (ie, the federal government) did anything about it.

    --
    "His name was James Damore."