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Table of contents
1. Internet 'may be just a passing fad as millions give up on it'........................................................................ 1

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Internet 'may be just a passing fad as millions give up on it'

Author: Chapman, James Publication info: Daily Mail [London (UK)] 05 Dec 2000: 33. ProQuest document link Abstract (Abstract): 'Teenagers' use of the Internet has declined. They were energised by what you can do on the Net but they have been through all that and then realised there is more to life in the real world and gone back to it.' The project, sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council, gathered together research by 25 universities across Europe and the U.S. The Virtual Society research contrasts with a prediction by pollsters Mori last week suggest-ingt that half of all adults could be online within the next six months. 'The world could not survive today without email,' he said. 'It's mundane uses of the Internet, like email, which mean it won't go away.' Links: Check for fulltext Full text: THE Internet may be only a passing fad for many users, according to a report. Researchers found that millions were turning their back on the world wide web, frustrated by its limitations and unwilling to pay high access charges. They say that email, far from replacing other forms of communication, is adding to an overload of information. Experts from the Virtual Society project, which published the report, say predictions that the Internet would revolutionise the way society works have proved wildly inaccurate. Many teenagers are using the Internet less now than previously, they conclude, and the future of online shopping is limited. Steve Woolgar, director of the society, said: 'We are often presented with a picture of burgeoning Internet use, but there is evidence already of drop-off and saturation among users. 'Teenagers' use of the Internet has declined. They were energised by what you can do on the Net but they have been through all that and then realised there is more to life in the real world and gone back to it.' The project, sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council, gathered together research by 25 universities across Europe and the U.S. It estimated that in Britain alone there could be more than two million people who regularly used the Internet but had now given up. Analysts say some simply became bored, while others were frustrated by the amount of advertising they had to plough through to reach information. Many university students, who had enjoyed free access to the Net while studying, had decided it was not worth paying for it afterwards. Only a third of former users said they expected to go back later on. Social scientist Sally Wyatt, who contributed to the research, said the report's results showed that the so-called information superhighway might not be as influential as had been suggested. Far from bringing about the 'paperless office' forecast by industry experts, email had added to the burden on workers, she said. Emails were seen as durable records which could be stored and retrieved at later date, which meant staff spent longer on them than phone calls. Disputes over messages meant there was an increase in face-to- face meetings. The Virtual Society research contrasts with a prediction by pollsters Mori last week suggest-ingt that half of all adults could be online within the next six months.

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And the findings were rebutted by Gordon Buxton, an analyst at Oxford Internet Consultants. 'The world could not survive today without email,' he said. 'It's mundane uses of the Internet, like email, which mean it won't go away.' j.chapman@dailymail.co.uk Publication title: Daily Mail Pages: 33 Number of pages: 0 Publication year: 2000 Publication date: Dec 5, 2000 Year: 2000 Publisher: Solo Syndication, a division of Associated Newspapers Ltd. Place of publication: London (UK) Country of publication: United Kingdom Publication subject: General Interest Periodicals--Great Britain ISSN: 03077578 Source type: Newspapers Language of publication: English Document type: NEWSPAPER ProQuest document ID: 321188116 Document URL: http://ezproxy.library.usyd.edu.au/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/321188116?accountid=14757 Copyright: Copyright Associated Newspapers Ltd. Dec 5, 2000 Last updated: 2012-10-24

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