Myspace is now hiring cyber-sleuths, the University of Duke’s lacrosse team is being tried by bloggers and cyber-bullying is a new form of assault.
So much technology, so little time; it is astonishing that one can get anything accomplished. Why are we spending so much time on the Internet and what are we looking for?
According to a 2005 Pew Internet Use Survey, the most frequent Internet users were Generation X (age 29-40) and teens (age 12-17) with an 87 percent user rate. Generation Y users (age 18-28) ranked second as online users with 84 percent and retirees use of the Internet is minimal at only 21 percent.
As far as who is online more often, men or women, it is men by a slight margin even though there are more women in the country.
Married couples with children are more likely to be online than single adults and black women outnumber black men in cyber space.
And how much time is spent online daily is only slightly staggering. Fifty percent of the male population devoted more than an hour of the day to the Internet. The female population was slightly less with 45 percent and most users logged on from home, not work.
What cyber savvy users research is also different. Teens and Generation Y users are usually online gaming, researching school projects, downloading music and videos and reading or creating blogs.
Baby boomers and their older counterparts spend their time on product research, making travel reservations and online banking. In 2005, over 90 percent of both men and women used a search engine to find new job.
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Other areas where men and women differ in Internet use are content. While most men are researching products, services and sports
scores, women are getting directions, maps and health information. And yes, both male and female users have visited adult Web sites but statistically men outnumber the women in these cyber-sinkholes four to one.
Is there an end in sight? According to research, the Internet is just the beginning. With cell phones changing to bring us news and sports, music and live concerts it will not be long until we are virtually plugged in continuously. It is a trend that is growing in popularity and will have a profound effect on the way generations after us interact and communicate.