Three-Quarters of U.S. Adults Use Internet

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Before someone else does it, I want to correct the title above by adding two words: “for porn.” :D

Nearly three-quarters of American adults use the Internet, more than half connect wirelessly via laptop or handheld, and 60 percent use broadband connections at home, according to a survey released Tuesday. The Pew Research Center survey (PDF) also found that Internet users in the U.S. tend to be young, white, and educated, with an equal distribution between men and women.
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Well damn Steve, thanks for taking all the fun out of the first post. :p

Aside from that, if we have so many people using the net why can't we get the awesome bandwidth that other countries get. :(

Sure I'm waaaay oversimplifying but still.
 
darkpaw said:
What the hell are the other 25% doing, living in caves?
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You've got to take into account the homeless and those that can't afford internet, those that simply find no need for it, and the elderly who don't want to get involved in it. Hell, I don't own a TV or land line phone :)
 
Even my very elderly grand parents use the internet to a limited extent and I often see homeless using it at the library. I really didn't think that 1 out of 4 people still wouldn't use it at all.
 
darkpaw said:
Even my very elderly grand parents use the internet to a limited extent and I often see homeless using it at the library. I really didn't think that 1 out of 4 people still wouldn't use it at all.
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True, the numbers seem a bit low. I know a lot of people, and not one of them doesn't use it.
 
darkpaw said:
Even my very elderly grand parents use the internet to a limited extent and I often see homeless using it at the library. I really didn't think that 1 out of 4 people still wouldn't use it at all.
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My Grandma doesn't know anything about it and has only seen it when my dad and I were living there, about a decade ago. Ditto for my aunt who lives with my grandma now (think fat angry cat lady).

You'd be surprised.
 
Jakalwarrior said:
I'm more surprised at the statistic "40% of Americans do not have broadband in their homes".
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Same. It's shocking that people are still using dial up, but who knows, dial up might offer better service than my oversold, broadband provider's network.
 
gravityparade said:
Same. It's shocking that people are still using dial up, but who knows, dial up might offer better service than my oversold, broadband provider's network.
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My parents still have dial up, mainly because the don't want to give up thier land line telephone. Both are retired.
 
gwarren007 said:
My parents still have dial up, mainly because the don't want to give up thier land line telephone. Both are retired.
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Sorry, but you comment doesn't mean 1 bit of sense in any way, shape or form. no form of broadband internet forces you to get rid of your land line.


As for the article, my parents don't get on the internet. Don't actually even us a computer. I know a few others that don't go online. So i could buy that 1 out of 4 or close to that don't use the internet.
 
failed at my post above. :p let me try that again.

Sorry, but your comment doesn't make 1 bit of sense in any way, shape or form. No form of broadband internet forces you to get rid of your land line.



As for the article, my parents don't get the internet. Don't actually even use a computer.
 
Riftsaw said:
Aside from that, if we have so many people using the net why can't we get the awesome bandwidth that other countries get. :(

Sure I'm waaaay oversimplifying but still.
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Doesn't the participation rate affect available bandwidth? Like... everyone flushing the toilet at the same time.
 
This is only those who use internet directly right? I think that all of us benefit from internet directly or indirectly.
 
Yet 80% of my neighbors do not have a computer...

My sweet young neighbor was trying to get spyware off her cell phone. *FacePalm* she bought a copy of Symacafe Anti-spamviral at Staples and could not figure out how to plug the Thumbdrive it came on into her phone..... :eek:

she uses her phone for everything, and does not have a computer.
 
Considering the poll was of "2,250 adults" who actually do surveys over the phone, I don't think this signifies anything realistically or statistically. ;)
 
Wolfie said:
Yet 80% of my neighbors do not have a computer...

My sweet young neighbor was trying to get spyware off her cell phone. *FacePalm* she bought a copy of Symacafe Anti-spamviral at Staples and could not figure out how to plug the Thumbdrive it came on into her phone..... :eek:

she uses her phone for everything, and does not have a computer.
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But she is online so that would count as her using the internet

hamm3rhead said:
Considering the poll was of "2,250 adults" who actually do surveys over the phone, I don't think this signifies anything realistically or statistically. ;)
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Thats the same as any other poll that is done.
 
Exavior said:
failed at my post above. :p let me try that again.

Sorry, but your comment doesn't make 1 bit of sense in any way, shape or form. No form of broadband internet forces you to get rid of your land line.



As for the article, my parents don't get the internet. Don't actually even use a computer.
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A little clearer for you- My dads a cheap bastard and if he can get the internet and a home phone for 35.00 a month he will.
 
Wolfie said:
Yet 80% of my neighbors do not have a computer...

My sweet young neighbor was trying to get spyware off her cell phone. *FacePalm* she bought a copy of Symacafe Anti-spamviral at Staples and could not figure out how to plug the Thumbdrive it came on into her phone..... :eek:

she uses her phone for everything, and does not have a computer.
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Sweet young neighbor? Help her out and get "Rewarded", bro.
 
Isn't like 15% of the country Amish / unemployed? Guess we can all get government broadband (with IRS web cam) next after health care.
 
gravityparade said:
Same. It's shocking that people are still using dial up, but who knows, dial up might offer better service than my oversold, broadband provider's network.
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Not all places where people live are serviced by broadband. My parents have only just been able to tap into a DSL line that pretty much loses the signal around their house, and are using a wireless AP (I think) just to use their neighbor's service. Sure, they could have gone with satellite...
 
Exavior said:
Sorry, but you comment doesn't mean 1 bit of sense in any way, shape or form. no form of broadband internet forces you to get rid of your land line.


As for the article, my parents don't get on the internet. Don't actually even us a computer. I know a few others that don't go online. So i could buy that 1 out of 4 or close to that don't use the internet.
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FiOS will remove your copper phone line during installation.
 
darkpaw said:
What the hell are the other 25% doing, living in caves?
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They're are lying about it or their definition of adult content is somewhat different.

I do wish though some coworkers would stick to porn at home, it is somewhat funny when you walk up to them and they're in a mad scramble to close certain graphic windows , so I tend to yell ahead something when approaching :D
 
gwarren007 said:
A little clearer for you- My dads a cheap bastard and if he can get the internet and a home phone for 35.00 a month he will.
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That is different from what you orginally said then. That isnt them losing their land line, but is then paying more for the service.

MrBojangels said:
FiOS will remove your copper phone line during installation.
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That doesn't make you lose your land line, you still have phone service it is just over fiber instead of copper. You aren't using VoIP or anything like that. You would still have the same phone service from your telco that you did before.

Closest thing you will come to that would be different is going to something like a triple play plan from comcast or some other cable service. you would then move over to their digital phone service. That wouldn't so much as make you lose your land line, as it would effect the realiablity of it and your 911 service.
 
hamm3rhead said:
Considering the poll was of "2,250 adults" who actually do surveys over the phone, I don't think this signifies anything realistically or statistically. ;)
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Over the Phone Polls are a valid way to collect survey data of this type. The tricky part is in fact getting a "representative sample" of respondents. And since they do seem to have targeted several ethnic groups, we can assume they were at least "trying" to get a balanced picture. On the flip side I'm sure there are plenty of people, like myself, who refuse to participate in "over the phone" surveys.

Overall, statistical comparisons always beg the question of whether,or not, they were based on a truly representative sample. Still that doesn't mean the data gathered fails to have any value. It just affects some of the conclusions you can safely draw from it.
 
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