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SURVEY SHOWS INCREASE INTERNET USE COSTS ON-LINE SERVICES
Survey results released this month by Computer Intelligence
(CI) of La Jolla, Calif. shows the rapid growth of Internet and intranet
use led to a decrease in the usage of on-line services in the workplace.
The 1996 Computer Intelligence (CI) Consumer Technology Index (CTI)
study, a large, comprehensive survey of personal computer use in the
United States found 10 million PC users became regular users of the
Internet last year, a whopping 115% increase.
According to the survey, commercial on-line services added four million
new users in 1995, an increase of about 25% from the prior year. “The
growth in on-line use was among users in the home segment,” says
Dave Tremblay, Senior Industry Analyst at CI. “The number of users
accessing on-line services at work actually declined, as Internet and
intranet applications began to displace these services. We expect this
trend to accelerate throughout 1996 and beyond.”
Of the Internet applications available, E-mail remains the most common
for users in all three segments of the PC market: home, workplace and
self-employed. About three quarters of all Internet users employ e-mail
(see table below).
However, use of World Wide Web services showed the largest growth in
1995. Internet users browsing the Web jumped by 24 points to 62%. PC
users who use their machines in a workplace environment are less likely
to browse the Web than home or self-employed PC users. Internet users
in the workplace also are less likely to read newsgroups or participate
in chat rooms.
Even among PC users, already a decidedly upscale group, Internet users
stand out. Median annual household income among Internet-using households
is nearly $58,000 - $10,000 higher than for households not using the
Internet and about 75% higher than the median income for all U.S. households.
In addition, more than half (53%) of Internet households include at
least one college graduate. This compares to 42% of households that
have PCs but are not using the Internet and to about a quarter of U.S.
households without PCs.
“ Even as the use of PCs is spreading into households with lower
income and education levels, Internet use remains an emphatically upscale
activity,” said Tremblay. “Those who are using the Internet
are primarily using communication and information-oriented services.
Shopping, ticketing and other commercial or financial services have
made some inroads, but they remain largely sidelights, so far. For most
Internet users, e-mail, Web browsing, and to a lesser extent, newsgroups,
remain the focus. ”
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| Internet PC's
Using Each Service (at End of 1995) |
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1994
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1994 |
| E-Mail |
78% |
74% |
| Browse Web |
38% |
62% |
| Read Newsgroups |
39% |
35% |
| Telnet/FTP |
31% |
23% |
| Interactive Chat |
22% |
22% |
| Access Commercial Services |
17% |
16% |
| On-Line Banking |
N/A |
3% |
| Source: CI's Consumer Technology Index,
1996 |
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