Skype Hopes To Stay On The Censor's Good Side In China

Study: Internet Users Using The Internet

from the that-seems-logical dept

Wed, Apr 19th 2006 10:12am — Joseph Weisenthal

According to a new study, the internet is fulfilling its promise, serving as an important source of information for people's decision making. Did you know, for example, that people are now using the internet to research colleges and get health information? The Pew researchers, who conducted the study, chalk it up to ubiquitous broadband and the proliferation of quality content online. This seems pretty obvious, to the point of being tautologically true. More importantly, these kinds of studies miss the point in understanding the internet. It's not just another content platform, but a communications tool. To say that the internet is an important source of information is like saying that the telephone is an information source when people call 411. Again, it seems pretty obvious, and makes you wonder who is spending money on these studies.

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

33 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

hobot, 19 Apr 2006 @ 11:14am

well
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- jay, 6 Mar 2007 @ 11:20am
  
  Re: well
  firewalls suck ass and parents need 2 back off!!!
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
hobot, 19 Apr 2006 @ 11:14am

here is the answer did I keep you in suspense
idiots are spending it
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Thomas Deaderick, 19 Apr 2006 @ 4:12pm
  
  Re: here is the answer did I keep you in suspense
  Sweet line. I lol.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Rikko, 19 Apr 2006 @ 11:35am

Joe, you get 10 points for using 'tautologically' in a sentence.

Totally agree with you, btw
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
spr0949, 19 Apr 2006 @ 11:42am

Internet Study
Who is paying for these idiotic studies? Our tax dollars that's who!! The feds spend our tax dollars to find out that the internet is a tool, and they still don't get it!! What can you expect when it was invented by Gore and named after Bush (WWW)!!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Jeremy Boyd, 19 Apr 2006 @ 12:28pm
  
  Re: Internet Study
  Our tax dollars that's who!! The feds spend our tax dollars to find out that the internet is a tool
  
  Don't be an idiot. 1) Our tax dollars are not a "who" - they're a "what," but that doesn't matter since they're being spent, not doing the spending. 2) The Pew Group is a non-profit organization that conducts surveys in a lot of areas of daily life. Uncle Sam's not footing the bill.
  
  While the survey seems a little misguided, I for one am surprised by the data. I thought a lot more than 45% of internet users would rely on the Net for important decisions. So the survey may be instructive even if it only serves to tear down misconceptions.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Old bear, 19 Apr 2006 @ 1:41pm
    
    Re: Re: Internet Study
    "The Pew Group is a non-profit organization that conducts surveys in a lot of areas of daily life. Uncle Sam's not footing the bill."
    
    Non-profit groups still get paid by someone. My wife works for a non-profit and she doesn't work for free; and neither does her director.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 19 Apr 2006 @ 12:00pm

Thanks for that already quite obvious information. I'm so glad that the Pew research center is keeping up on current events.

Funny - if they hadn't already figured all that out, how solid can their polls possibly be..

Oh by the way - for the guy who came up with the idea for this study/poll... Your village called, their idiot is missing..

lol
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
derfaust, 19 Apr 2006 @ 12:24pm

well granted the study seems kinda stupid. but something to think about is that it is data. we need data to know things. It is kind of interesting to see how people find things out so sources can be made better and more accessable.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Road, 19 Apr 2006 @ 12:51pm

Important Decisions
45% is probably not a acurrate number. If someone came up to you and said "rate 1 to 5 how many important decision's you make are based off the internet." Are you honestly going to say 5. The fact that the original information for the decision came from the web AKA Advertising, Phone number, Location, Contacts, and Normal Q&A sorts of questions is a no brainer. But your not going to say that the decision you made was souly based of the Internet.... So the survey is already flawed.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
mY cAPS loCK wAS oN, 19 Apr 2006 @ 1:08pm

Obvious on paper
The survey ( http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/181/report_display.asp ) does seem to find out what most people already know but it still serves its purpose. Now that this knowledge is a document it can serve much more than if it was only a word of mouth.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 25 Apr 2006 @ 7:30pm
  
  Re: Obvious on paper
  not all research is that worthwhile, but still... we can't misinterpret data until we have it :)
  As far as research is concerned, I'll take the good with the bad, for the sake of not relying on my own biased opinion about how the world is. I have no particular fondness for this type of study or its methodology, but it's better than saying "I know everything, I won't do any research"
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
SMG, 19 Apr 2006 @ 1:13pm

read about pew trusts here
http://www.pewtrusts.com/about/about_subpage.cfm?page=a4
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
derfaust, 19 Apr 2006 @ 2:24pm

GET SOME!!!
while on the topic of surveys....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Tatheg, 19 Apr 2006 @ 3:09pm

Internet Use
I thought it was all about porn. Who would have guessed you could look up colleges and have something with fully clothed people come up?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Cody, 19 Apr 2006 @ 3:18pm

Non-Profit
Did anybody notice this is a not-for-profit company that completed this survey? Volunteers did it. You guys are seriously running out of things to complain about if you want to laugh at a survey that is checking into what internet users are actually using the internet for. Not only can this be used for marketing, and national defense, but it can tell you exactly where the world is heading. Quit complaining about the use of your tax dollars, they're going to get spent on whatever the government wants. You don't want stupid things done, quit electing Bush.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Darwin, 19 Apr 2006 @ 3:50pm
  
  Re: Non-Profit
  "You don't want stupid things done, quit electing Bush."
  
  Well, I liked your comment until you threw that in. WTF does that have to do with Bush? I don't like the guy either but he has nothing to do with idiotic studies. No president does, period.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - kevinakira6968, 24 Apr 2006 @ 1:59pm
    
    Re: Re: Non-Profit
    He wasn't calling Bush out for studies being done, just stupid things in general. Read his WHOLE comment.
    
    Yesterday I was at a retail store, looking at a selection of media, and of course it is difficult to pick an item based on a title or a short description, so....I called my wife on her "in" cell phone (free airtime, of course), gave her titles, and she looked up reviews on the internet. I got 4 quality used items for less than $20, 3 of them with no case or anything (only the disc). Would not have purchased them without the reviews. Technology and the internet....how wonderful!!!!
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Darwin, 19 Apr 2006 @ 3:47pm

Master of the Obvious
This one falls into the same catagory as the study last year that produced a front page announcement reading, "study indicates Men and Women are different" Who are these morons and this had better not be tax dollars!?!?!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Kevin, 20 Apr 2006 @ 5:11pm

Techdirt Study: Studies are dumb
Jeez, do you guys read beyond headlines before posting your nuggets of wisdom? Of course communication is a more important aspect of the Internet, but that wasn't the point of the study, was it? Go read the full reports and some background on the project, then come back and tell us why exactly this research is pointless.

I have no affiliation or particular fondness for the Pew studies, I just wanted to vent about your inane commentary (with some inane comments of my own). Thanks. :)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Dewitt, 13 Jun 2006 @ 11:51am

Getting around the internet undetected
I wanted to know how I can get to places that are blocked off by blockers and I need a code to destroy the blockers. I need help from people and sence you are magneticpizza and I got through things if it was blocked. So can you send me another way into things.

Thank you
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- desirae, 7 Nov 2006 @ 7:23am
  
  Re: Getting around the internet undetected
  nothing works.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - jarrian, 20 Feb 2007 @ 11:38am
    
    Re: Re: Getting around the internet undetected
    how to get around it
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- SecretC, 17 May 2007 @ 10:51am
  
  Re: Getting around the internet undetected
  *whisper* remote access it really works!!!!! And the school cant do anything about it :D
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
brandon, 21 Nov 2006 @ 7:32am

fuking nerds
you guys are a bunch of coc suking mother fuking nerdy bithches
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
SecretC, 17 May 2007 @ 10:49am

LOL :D
By using remote access my friend accessed his computer and was able to play runescape! By using remote access from school you use the blockers you have at home. You can do anything as if you were at home. He did it, and played as if he were at home, only from school. SUCK on THAT Administrators!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- SecretC, 17 May 2007 @ 10:52am
  
  Re: LOL :D
  Remote access works, you can get around anything the blockers the school has does not apply when you do this, email me at christrim@wowway.com to learn how to remote access *Thanks*
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - SecretC, 17 May 2007 @ 10:55am
    
    Re: Re: LOL :D
    this new technology allows us (with reduced speed) to visit sites like myspace, runescape, YOUTUBE!, and much much more. It cant be blocked or anything, it is not a site or any url, you just click the start button and begin. leave comments questions or any other information and this new technology 15 yr olds came up with.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - SecretC, 17 May 2007 @ 10:56am
      
      Re: Re: Re: LOL :D
      leave comments on christrim@wowway.com for insructions on how to do this.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Kim Ostbyt, 24 Aug 2007 @ 11:38am

hello
THIS WAS A BUNCH OF HELP.... not!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Mike (profile), 12 Nov 2009 @ 1:52pm

I love looking back at these old articles.

Imagine..people using the internet to research schools! What a concept. If only we had some PC remote access software that could travel back in time and let users get a peek at the things that await them...They might be shocked to see how truly little has changed. I mean, beyond bandwidth, what has changed in the last 3 years on the web? Nada, if you ask me..
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Krevco (profile), 12 Nov 2009 @ 2:07pm
  
  Re:
  I don't think PC remote access is what you would need for that. What you would need is a DeLorean and some plutonium!
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]