Pew Internet - Internet Evolution

[see: Pew Internet - Internet Evolution]

Summary of recent Pew Internet reports which track changes in how Americans connect to the Internet, how often, and what activities they pursue online.

1. Tech Term Awareness: The average American internet user is not sure what podcasting is, what an RSS feed does, or what the term “phishing” means.
   
   
2. How the internet has woven itself into American life: Widespread adoption of the internet in the past decade has had some dramatic impacts on people's communication patterns and the way they seek information.
   
   
3. The Future of the Internet: A wide-ranging survey of technology leaders, scholars, industry officials, and interested members of the public finds that most experts expect the internet to be more deeply integrated in our physical environments – with mixed results.
   
   
4. VoIP Awareness in America: While telephone calling using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has attracted considerable attention in the business community and among policymakers, 27% of Internet users in the United States – or 17% of all Americans – have heard of the service.
   
   
5. Getting Serious Online: As Americans Gain Experience, They Pursue More Serious Activities: As Americans gain experience online, they use the Internet more for their jobs, to make more online purchases and carry out other financial transactions, and to write emails with more significant and intimate content.