Who's not online? Well according to the statistics from the Pew Internet project, mostly old people and folks who can afford it, which in fact correlates with education since most of the elderly generation didn't need higher education and education equates to money in the current world. Rather than recite and rehash the statistical analysis that bored me to tears because while it may be relevant I can only swallow so many numbers at once before they lose all meaning, I would rather explore what these demographic groups are missing by avoiding the internet, at least in the case of people who never plan to log on. And also, are there any positives to avoiding the internet?
Well, I have to say since I have been without internet for months at a time before, one of the big perks is all the extra time for actual face to face interaction. I also rediscovered kayaking, camping, cooking, and other hobbies. Of course, I love my webcomics and no internet makes school next to impossible so I always log back on but I can say there is life outside the Web and it isn't bad.
What are they missing? Acres of spam email, spyware, and pop ups. Loads of porn, even in places you would never want to see it. The need to log in and memorize 20 user names and too many passwords to count. Myspace. Personally I rarely use the internet for social interaction and I actually can understand why some never users think it isn't worth it. A lot of user created content is just noise and lights. I have certainly thought it wasn't worth the money some months. But when I think about how easy it makes research, shopping, and how it helped keep my family together when we were separated all last year and I know I'd rather not do without it.
3 comments:
Yes, I was bored as well. I wanted less numbers, more opinion. But that is just me. As far as what you were talking about Vanessa, I agree with you. It is a neccessary evil I think. I know I was without internet and phone for about a month and I just about died with out any connection to the outside world. But when I see all the crap on the internet and how a good portion of it is dumbing people down I just want to give up the whole thing. I guess it is kind of like a guy.... can't live with it, can't live without it.
It is a tricky debate, because one could argue that the internet didn't invent distraction. Personally, I find that the internet has replaced hours of mindless television-watching, and I actually tend to gain a lot more out of surfing the net than watching TV.
As for demographics, I think it is significant to note who isn't online because the internet is, if nothing else, an unprecidentedly powerful communication tool, and I think it could easily be argued that historically, lack of communication has been one of the key factors in oppression, misunderstanding, war, etc. I don't have any excuses for the fact that I have cable internet at home and don't use this resource to better understand Muslim culture (which I should, considering I'm American and grouped with the decadant West whether I want to be or not). But for those in the demographics who simply have no access to the web, I find these concerns over accessibility to be real and pertinent, just as we could look at a lack of power, running water, basic education, etc., as a tragic deprivation of simple privelages.
I would suggest that while the digital divide is very much a reality, as some of our articles have explained, the "Grey Gap" will be no more, and very soon at that. I have no numbers to throw out, but i would like to point out that both my grandparents do not use the internet. They are pushing 80 years of age. My parents, on the other hand, use the internet very, very frequently. If the grey gap were to continue, it would mean that for some reason or another, both my mother and father would the internet and the digital world all of the sudden uninteresting, and uneeded. Most people at some point in the last ten years have expressed that they didn't know how they ever got by without the internet, which leads me to believe that nobody who currently uses the internet on a daily basis, will ever cease to do so. The "Grey Gap," then, should be no more within the next 20 to 30 years I would think.
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