Here's What's Playing on a Computer Near You
The Pew Internet and American Life Project summarized it's findings through 2002 to describe what Americans do OnLine. Not surprisingly, Email tops the list, but gambling is at the bottom! About 57% of Americans go online which translates into approximately 109 million people. According to PEW, here are the kinds of things they do:
| Percent of those with Internet access | Most recent survey date | |
| Send email | 93% | December 2002 |
| Use an online search engine to find information | 85 | January 2002 |
| Do an Internet search to answer a specific question | 83 | September 2002 |
| Research a product or service before buying it | 83 | December 2002 |
| Search for a map or driving directions | 79 | August-October 2001 |
| Look for info on a hobby or interest | 77 | January 2002 |
| Look for info about movies, books, or other leisure activities | 73 | March-May 2002 |
| Get news | 71 | December 2002 |
| Check the weather | 69 | March-May 2002 |
| Get travel information | 66 | February-March 2001 |
| Look for health/medical information | 66 | December 2002 |
| Surf the Web for fun | 65 | January 2002 |
| Buy a product | 61 | December 2002 |
| Visit a government Web site | 56 | November 2002 |
| Go to a web site that provides info or support for a specific medical condition or personal situation | 54 | December 2002 |
| Look up phone number or address | 53 | August-October 2001 |
| Watch a video clip or listen to an audio clip | 53 | October 2002 |
| Research for school or training | 53 | September 2002 |
| Buy or make a reservation for travel | 53 | December 2002 |
| Do any type of research for their job | 52 | November 2002 |
| Look for information about a job | 47 | March-May 2002 |
| Send an instant message | 46 | June-July 2002 |
| Check sports scores or information | 44 | September 2002 |
| Get financial information | 42 | September 2002 |
| Download other files such as games, videos, or pictures | 41 | August-October 2001 |
| Look for political news/information | 40 | November 2002 |
| Play a game | 37 | June-July 2002 |
| Listen to music online at a web site for a radio station, music store, recording artist, or music service | 37 | August-October 2001 |
| Look for information about a place to live | 36 | March-May 2002 |
| Bank online | 30 | October 2002 |
| Share files from own computers such as music, video, pictures, computer games w/ others | 28 | August-October 2001 |
| Search for information on the Internet about someone you know or might meet | 28 | September 2002 |
| Look for religious/spiritual information | 28 | September 2002 |
| Chat in a chat room or in an online discussion | 25 | June-July 2002 |
| Look for weight loss or general fitness information | 24 | January 2002 |
| Look for information about a mental health issue like depression or anxiety | 23 | June-July 2002 |
| Participate in an online auction | 22 | December 2002 |
| Use Internet to get photos developed/display photos | 21 | August-October 2001 |
| Research your family's history or genealogy | 20 | February-March 2001 |
| Create content for the Internet, such as helping build a web site, creating an online diary, or posting your thoughts online | 19 | October 2002 |
| Look for information on something sensitive or embarrassing that you would rather not ask someone about | 18 | June-July 2002 |
| Take part in an online group that you consider yourself a member of | 16 | October 2002 |
| Visit an adult web site | 13 | October 2002 |
| Buy or sell stocks, bonds, or mutual funds | 12 | September 2002 |
| Go to a dating Web site | 10 | June-July 2002 |
| Visit an online support group | 9 | June-July 2002 |
| Make a phone call over the Internet | 8 | October 2002 |
| Buy groceries online | 8 | March-December 2000 |
| reate a web log or "blog that others can read online | 7 | September 2002 |
| Make a donation to a charity online | 7 | December 2002 |
| Take a class online for college credit | 7 | March-May 2002 |
| Take any other class online | 6 | March-May 2002 |
| Gamble | 5 | August-October 2001 |
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Tracking surveys (March 2000 - present) You can find out more here.
JACK LOECHNER
Center for Media Research
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