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In computer news this week 06/24/2009

 

 

Do you suffer from IF (Internet Fatigue) ?

 

Are you ICT Dependent (Information and Communication Technology)

 

Do you feel that the Internet controls your life ?

 

Do you have nightmares about not being able to get on the web to check your email, or to read the news, or to check your Facebook or other social networking page? 

 

Recently the Pew Internet and American life Research Center created a report named

The-Mobile-Difference  which is a summary of their findings of how Americans use the internet today. 

 

Based on their survey – which you can take directly online yourself by going to their website:

 

What-Kind-of-Tech-User-Are-You? 

 

they came up with a list of categories of Internet users, including such terms as:

 

Digital collaborators 8% (Of which I found I was one) – people who use information gadgets to collaborate with others and share their creativity with the world.

 

Ambivalent networkers – 7% of adults who use mobile devices to connect with others, but who don’t always like it when their cell phone rings.

 

Media movers – 7% who use the internet – search engines etc. – to seek out information nuggets and post them on their own social networking sites.

 

Roving nodes – 9% of people who use their mobile devices to connect and share information with others

 

Mobile newbies – 8% who have cell phones but not access to the internet

 

Desktop veterans – 13% who are dedicated to access to digital information and like it.

 

Drifting surfers – 14% who have gadgets and internet access but say they could do without them.

 

The information encumbered – 10% who just feel overwhelmed by information

 

The Tech indifferent – 10% who are just plain unenthusiastic about cell phones and the internet

 

And Off The Internet – 14% who don’t use it at all.

 

The reports states that there is a “penalty” for having little or no internet access today:

“As a large portion of the online population gravitates to wireless and mobile access to supplement their home high-speed wired connections, the supply of and demand for online content increases.

Institutions – whether governments or news organizations – have greater incentives to optimize their services to be consumed online. More people have greater opportunity to share their advice, creativity, and observations online.

Recent research argues that exclusion from the Internet is more costly than in the past.”

I think the recent situation in Iran points out the advantages of being internet savvy in today’s world. Despite the government’s attempts at blocking all communications, younger internet-savvy Iranians were able to show the world what was happening.

So hate it or love it, it’s an online world, and we’ll all just have to get used to it.

 

 

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This is Frank Delaney

(C) 2009 MTA Micro Technology Associates

http://www.mtamicro.com/kpbx.html

PO Box 31522  Spokane, Wa 99223-1522

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mailto:frank@mtamicro.com