• by Kate Kaye , September 22, 2004

It's tough enough for some digital disciples to leave behind their PDAs while away on vacation. But imagine life without the Internet. Yahoo! Inc. and media agency OMD asked participants in their "Internet Deprivation Study" to do just that by living without the Internet for two weeks.

The results weren't pretty. The subjects reported a sense of withdrawal, frustration, and disconnectedness when the Internet was removed from their lives.

"This study gives clarity and sort of a sense of ease to marketers who are still testing, or moderately online, that there are people using this medium," commented Sean Finnegan, director of digital client communications at OMD. "Once [the Internet was] taken away, lives were disrupted," he added.

For one part of the study, conducted by Conifer Research, 28 participants from 13 households agreed to go without Internet connections for 14 days, and to report their reactions to Web deprivation through written diaries and video interviews. Regardless of age, household income, or ethnic background, participants reported that the two-week Web ban hindered daily activities such as booking travel, paying bills, checking sports scores, and communicating with others. Without phone numbers, maps, and customer service information a few clicks away online, participants forgot about--or were reluctant to use--traditional information sources like phone books or print newspapers. They also found their shopping activities disrupted, as they typically used the Web to research products and compare prices before making purchases.

"Every day of life without the Internet is frustrating," wrote Glecia H., a study participant. In another portion of the study, fielded by Ipsos-Insight and based on a representative omnibus survey of 1000 U.S. online households, respondents were asked to estimate how long they could go without Internet access. Almost half--48 percent--said they wouldn't last for more than two weeks. The median period participants claimed they could endure without the Internet is five days. Three-quarters of those studied also affirmed the so-called "digital divide," agreeing that access to the Internet afforded them advantages over those without it.

A separate study released Tuesday by the Online Publishers Association also supports the importance of the Internet in people's lives. Conducted by Frank N. Magid Associates' Surveysonline.com, the study of 18- to-54-year-olds revealed that more than 70 percent of respondents consider time spent online an important part of their day. In addition, more than 60 percent indicated that the Web provides them with useful information about products and services.

Even more than missing the ability to compare DVD prices or get driving directions online, study participants missed e-mailing and instant messaging people in their Web-based social networks. More than one of the participants used the phrase "out of the loop" to describe their feelings without the Net. Almost half of the respondents--47 percent--indicated that the Internet made it easier to manage personal and professional relationships.

Evidently, the Internet also helps study participants to at least feel more productive and comfortable at work. Study subjects referred to the Internet as a "private space" that enables online breaks, and characterized the Web as a virtual haven to which they can escape, but readily return from. Participants also worried that they would appear lazy or unproductive when making phone calls rather than e-mailing, or reading the newspaper in print form rather than online.

The study, said OMD's Finnegan, "speaks out loud about the fact that this medium is everywhere, and it needs to be paid attention to from a budgetary standpoint."