Don't Be Hurt, Internet, Some People Just Don't Care About You
from the let-them-eat-802.11b dept
Belive it or not, some people just aren't interested in the internet. In recent years, the growth rate for internet adoption has slowed dramatically, while those saying the internet doesn't interest them outnumber those who can't afford to get online. All the recent handwringing about the US falling behind the world in broadband penetration seems misguided. Instead of worrying about the numbers of people online, the focus should be on a more productive internet. The Koreans may have ubiquitous broadband, but they also have deadly 50-hour gaming jags. What matters is whether individuals use their time productively and pleasurably, not whether that time is spent online. More shocking, perhaps, is that there are people who have dial-up that aren't interested in switching to broadband. This means that they've experienced what the internet has to offer but aren't obsessed with consuming it at hyperspeed, shaving precious seconds in page load time, and watching the latest viral video on YouTube at the highest resolution. To some, this may be surprising, but it hardly constitutes falling behind or a matter of national concern.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
its a way of life
Only 25% of the nation is offline. What portion of these 25% belong to a pre-internet generation? Children are online by kindergarten today. Usage is not dropping, its simply plateaued.
How many people still use a regular tv antenna instead of having some sort of subscribtion programming? 10 years ago there were new people hooking up to cable all the time, now everyone has it, its simply a matter of which provider they choose.
"More shocking, perhaps, is that there are people who have dial-up that aren't interested in switching to broadband."
This is shocking. Do people "fear" broadband, are they that satisfied with their dial-up connection? I couldn't go back to a dialup connection myself.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: its a way of life
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: its a way of life
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: its a way of life
While I spend tons of time online for professional reasons, I realize that there are a lot of people who don't. And if they don't want the luxury of "broadband" then why should they pay for it?
Those who just want do some basic surfing and emailing don't need broadband.
With all this talk about telco's charging for content that they have nothing to do with, maybe they would do better by providing 56k access via cable and DSL for $10.00/mo or less. Or even pull a NetZero approach and provide access for free for ads and a max of 10hrs a month.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: its a way of life
I live in "dark territory" and can't convince the *&^$# ISPs to offer broadband, cable or DSL. Oh, sure, I could go satellite - at 3x the cost for 1/6 the service. Yeah, I'm all about that idea.
And the most infuriating part? Cable service is as close as 1.21mi from my house. Has been for 8 years. COMCAST WON'T PULL A WIRE. They said they could if I paid for it, and then refused when I tried to take them up on it.
Which one of these pinkos do I have to off to get service?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: its a way of life
Cable is stupid and a waste of money.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Mistaken...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Sadly Enough
On the other hand, I also know a couple of people who claim to have never gone online even though there is a computer in their home. They claim that it was purchased for the children's homework...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Sadly Enough
have no choice. My dial-up is over a thirty year
old FDM line and a 26,6 connection is considered good.
Verizon installed fiber at the curb five years ago. But have not upgraded the central office. They have no plans to do so that they're aware of.
I guess they had to do something to justify that big injection of tax dollars the telco's received for improved connectivity.
I miss the bandwidth I enjoyed in the 80's but
not the commute. I own a TV but it's not plugged
in.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Believe
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Don't Be Hurt, Internet, Some People Just Don't Ca
Time to unplug, man.
Sam
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
Talk is cheap. Opinion is cheap. Oh, and let us not forget the bloodsucking lawyers. Lawyers, copyright crap, and invasive advertising have turned me off on most anything 'internet.'
[ link to this | view in chronology ]