High Tech and Daily Life - Everyday Activities And The Internet

The more Americans are exposed to the Internet, the more the Internet comes into play a role in seemingly every facet of day-to-day American life. According to Fallows in The Internet and Daily Life, nine out of ten (92%)

TABLE 9.1

Everyday online activities, 2003
Activity and percentage (in parentheses) of those who do this activity at all in their lives, either online or offline	Internet users who do this activity online
N = 1,358.
SOURCE: Deborah Fallows, "Everyday Online Activities," The Internet and Daily Life, Pew Internet and American Life Project, August 11, 2004, http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Internet_and_Daily_Life.pdf (accessed December 19, 2004). Used by permission of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, which bears no responsibility for the interpretations presented or conclusions reached based on analysis of the data.
Get map or directions (88%)	87%
Communicate with friends/family (95)	79
Check weather (86)	69
Get news (88)	63
Get sports scores (47)	55
Buy tickets (74)	55
Send cards, etc. (81)	52
Get addresses, zip codes, phone numbers (74)	50
Play games (74)	46
Plan gatherings (66)	46
Pay bills, banking (82)	44
Pursue hobbies (80)	34
Buy daily items (78)	33
Find new people (25)	26
Listen to music (87)	23
Schedule appointments (69)	22
Read for fun (83)	18
Watch videos (70)	16

online Americans surveyed during November and December 2003 believed the Internet was good for obtaining everyday information. Three-quarters (75%) considered the Internet a great way to conduct everyday transactions. Table 9.1 lists some of the specific everyday activities online Americans engaged in on the Internet. (Each percentage on the right side of the table represents the percentage of Internet users who take part in the activity who have at some point gone on the Internet to do so.) Many of the activities involved referencing practical information. Over two-thirds (69%) of Internet users who checked the weather regularly checked it on the Internet. Half (50%) of

TABLE 9.2

Everyday online activities of broadband and dial-up users, 2003
Activity	Broadband at home and work	Broadband at home or work	Dial-up only
N = 1,358.
SOURCE: Deborah Fallows, "Broadband Users Do More Everyday Activities Online Than Dial-up Users," The Internet and Daily Life, Pew Internet and American Life Project, August 11, 2004, http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Internet_and_Daily_Life.pdf (accessed December 19,2004). Used by permission of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, which bears no responsibility for the interpretations presented or conclusions reached based on analysis of the data.
Get maps or directions	94%	91%	83%
Communicate with friends/family	92	83	77
Check weather	91	77	62
Get sports scores	89	66	43
Get news	83	73	52
Get addresses, zip codes, phone numbers	77	60	39
Buy tickets	74	62	48
Do bills, banking	70	53	36
Send cards, invites	67	56	50
Plan gatherings	64	51	42
Buy daily items	51	40	25
Play games	48	47	45
Pursue hobbies	45	38	30
Schedule appointments	45	30	13
Find new people	43	30	21
Listen to music	38	29	15
Watch videos	32	22	9
Read for fun	30	20	16

online adults who typically found themselves looking up addresses, zip codes, and numbers did so on the Internet.

Communications were a big part of people's everyday Web experience as well. In the 2003 survey conducted by Pew/Internet, eight out of ten (79%) Web users who usually communicated with friends and family used the Web to communicate with them. Over one-quarter (26%) of online Americans who were dating or interested in meeting someone new did so on the Internet. The type of Internet service Americans had also greatly affected the likelihood of their engaging in online activities. As Table 9.2 displays, the percentage of people who took part in activities online jumped significantly when people had access to broadband.

According to Fallows in the August 2004 Pew/Internet report, quite a few online Americans used the Internet exclusively to take part in everyday activities during 2003. (See Table 9.3.) In fact, far more Internet users found maps or directions exclusively online than offline. A full 20% of Internet users (thirty-five million people) did all their banking and paid all their bills online, and 9% of Internet users (fifteen million Americans) bought such everyday items as groceries, kitchen utensils, and appliances on the Internet. Only 4% to 5% of those who participated in the Pew/Internet survey said they read for fun or watched videos exclusively on the Web.

A third of the people surveyed for The Internet and Daily Life reported that the Internet plays a major role in

TABLE 9.3

Everyday activities done exclusively offline or online, 2003
Activity	Percent of Internet users who do this activity only offline	Percent of Internet users who do this activity only online
N = 1,358.
SOURCE: Deborah Fallows, "Everyday Activities Done Exclusively Offline or Online,"The Internet and Daily Life, Pew Internet and American Life Project, August 11, 2004, http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Internet_and_Daily_Life.pdf (accessed December 19,2004). Used by permission of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, which bears no responsibility for the interpretations presented or conclusions reached based on analysis of the data.
Get maps or directions	14%	56%
Communicate with friends/family	20	21
Check weather	31	31
Get news	38	17
Get sports scores	45	26
Buy tickets	45	28
Send cards, invites	47	17
Get addresses, zip codes, phone numbers	50	19
Play games	54	20
Plan gatherings	53	20
Do bills, banking	56	20
Pursue hobbies	66	10
Buy daily items	68	9
Find new people	76	12
Listen to music	77	6
Schedule appointments	78	9
Read for fun	82	5
Watch videos	84	4

their lives. (As opposed to the two-thirds who felt it played a minor role.) Fallows labeled these people "major players." Major players tended to be wealthier, more educated, and online longer than other American Internetusers. Forty-nine percent of major players graduated from college, versus 30% of the other people on the Internet. Only 21% of nonmajor players had a household income exceeding $75,000. Some 38% of major players, on the other hand, brought in that much money. Roughly three-quarters (76%) of major players had broadband, compared with under half (42%) of other Internet users. As Table 9.4 predictably displays, major players were much more likely to do everyday activities online.

Parenting and the Internet

The Internet has aided parents in their efforts to plan the daily activities of their children. According to Parents Online, a November 2002 Pew/Internet report by Katherine Allen and Lee Rainie, 26% of parents said that the Internet has improved the manner in which they spent time with their children. Parents went online to look for everything from parental ratings on television shows to advice on how to pacify children afraid of the dark. Thirty-four percent of parents said the Internet was helpful in planning weekend outings for the family. Twenty-seven percent of parents said the Internet made finding birthday and holiday gifts for the family easier. Parents also employed the Internet to get in touch with their children's teachers and the

TABLE 9.4

Use of Internet for everyday activities, by level of Internet use, 2003
Activity	MP	Others
N = 1,358.
SOURCE: Deborah Fallows, "The online Americans who say the Internet plays a major role in their daily life are more likely to do everyday activities online than others," The Internet and Daily Life, Pew Internet and American Life Project, August 11, 2004, http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Internet_and_Daily_Life.pdf (accessed December 19,2004). Used by permission of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, which bears no responsibility for the interpretations presented or conclusions reached based on analysis of the data.
Get maps or directions	95%	83%
Communicate with friends/family	91	75
Check weather	83	62
Get news	83	53
Get sports scores	75	46
Get addresses, zip codes, phone numbers	73	38
Send cards, invites	69	45
Buy tickets	68	49
Plan gatherings	65	36
Do bills, banking	64	35
Play games	58	42
Buy daily items	51	23
Pursue hobbies	46	28
Find new people	42	20
Schedule appointments	39	14
Listen to music	36	16
Watch videos	33	8
Read for fun	30	13

parents of their children's friends. In a December 2000 Pew/Internet survey discussed in Parents Online, nearly one-third of parents (28%) replied that they keep in touch with their children's teachers through e-mail.

Parents also relied on the Internet to care for their children's health. Parents Online revealed that nearly 67% of online parents said they surfed the Internet for online health information, compared with 60% of adults without children. Parents were also generally more likely than adults without children to say the Internet improved the level of health care in their homes. More mothers than fathers logged onto the Internet to look for heath advice. Some 72% of wired mothers said they went online to find health and medical information, versus 57% of fathers. In a 2001 survey cited in Parents Online, mothers who went online to look for health information were asked about their most recent health search. Thirty-four percent of the health-seeking mothers said they went online on behalf of their children. Some 27% said they went online for their husbands, and 16% of these mothers went online for their parents.

Holidays and the Internet

The holiday season is a hectic time for any household, and the Internet provides an easy and convenient way to send holiday greetings, buy gifts, and stay in touch with family members. In fact, 78% of wired adults in America used the Web or e-mail to engage in some sort of holiday activity, according to Holidays Online—2002,a January

TABLE 9.5

E-mails sent for the holidays, 2002
	2001	2002
Sample = 1,220 Internet users.
SOURCE: Lee Rainie and John Horrigan, "The Kinds of Emails Holiday Celebrants Sent," in Holidays Online—2002, Pew Internet and American Life Project, January 7, 2003, http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Holidays_Online_2002.pdf (accessed December 19, 2004). Used by permission of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, which bears no responsibility for the interpretations presented or conclusions reached based on analysis of the data.
To/from family members about holiday plans and events	42%	48%
To/from friends about holiday plans and events	39%	45%
Holiday letters/cards via email	24%	27%
To/from someone I had not spoken with in several years to exchange holiday greetings	11%	16%
To/from members of my church/synagogue to plan religious activities	N/A	10%

2003 Pew/Internet study by Lee Rainie and John Horrigan. E-mail was among the most popular applications, and Table 9.5 lists the ways e-mailing Americans employed their e-mail over the holiday season. Over onequarter (27%) of e-mail users decided to save the expense and hassle of paper cards and instead opted to send them out electronically in 2002. Roughly half (48%) of e-mail users sent or received e-mail to and from family to arrange holiday plans, and slightly fewer (45%) employed e-mail to discuss plans with friends. Sixteen percent in 2002 said they had gotten in touch with someone via e-mail who they had not spoken to in years.

The World Wide Web also proved useful in planning holiday activities and trips. According to Rainie and Horrigan in Holidays Online—2002, 25% of wired adults, primarily women, went on the Internet to find ideas about crafts, food, or other ways to celebrate the holidays. Roughly 33% of online Americans used the Internet to plan seasonal activities, such as looking up the hours for Santa's workshop or a holiday light show. Another 11% of online Americans, typically heavy users of the Internet, made travel plans and reservations for the holidays online.

As most major retailers now have a Web site, shopping online has become easier than ever. Holidays Online—2002 revealed that some 46% of wired adults (forty-seven million people) used the Internet to look for gifts, and 28% (twenty-nine million people) actually bought something. (See Table 9.6 for a breakdown of who shopped online for the holidays.) A majority of adults (75%) who took part in e-commerce pointed to convenience and saving time as among their main reasons for shopping online. Roughly half (51%) said that the reason they shopped online was because they could find hard-to-locate gifts, and another one-third (31%) reported cost savings as their main reason for purchasing items on the Internet. All together, Americans spent close to $11 billion online during the 2002 holiday season, according to the January 2003 Pew/Internet

TABLE 9.6

Online holiday gift shoppers, by selected characteristics, 2002
Sample = 1,220 Internet users.
SOURCE: Lee Rainie and John Horrigan, "Who the Holiday Shoppers Were,"in Holidays Online—2002, Pew Internet and American Life Project, January 7, 2003, http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Holidays_Online_2002.pdf (accessed December 19,2004). Used by permission of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, which bears no responsibility for the interpretations presented or conclusions reached based on analysis of the data.
Men	41%
Women	59%
By race and ethnicity
Whites	79%
Hispanics	10%
Blacks	4%
Others	7%
By age
18–29	24%
30–49	52%
50–64	20%
65+	4%
By household income
<$30,000	13%
$30,000–$49,999	23%
$50,000–$74,999	25%
>$75,000	39%
By Internet experience
1 year or less	3%
2–3 years	14%
4–5 years	37%
6 or more years	45%

report. Online holiday shoppers spent an average of $407 in 2002. More than one-third (34%) of these shoppers spent more than $300 on Web retail. As can be seen in Table 9.7, more apparel and accessories sold online throughout the 2002 holiday season than any other product, according to data from comScore Networks cited by Rainie and Horrigan. Consumer electronics came in second, and sales in home and garden grew by the largest percentage from the year before.

Religion, Spirituality, and the Internet

Nearly 64% (eighty-two million people) of Internet users as of late 2003 had taken part in religious or spiritual activities online. An April 2004 Pew/Internet report entitled Faith Online by Stewart Hoover, Lynn Clark, and Lee Rainie revealed that 38% of wired American adults sent, received, or forwarded e-mail with spiritual content. (See Table 9.8.) Thirty-two percent of Internet users went online to read religious news, and 17% searched for places to attend religious services. More online people seemed interested in activities that enhanced their spiritual and religious lives (e.g., sending a spiritual or religious e-mail) rather than those related solely to the organizational side of religion such as scheduling church workshops. At the same time, those who attended church once a week were much more likely to engage in online activities for spiritual or religious reasons. (See Table 9.9.)

TABLE 9.7

Growth of online holiday season shopping, 2001–02
	2002 holiday season sales in millions	% change vs. the same period a year ago
Data for period between Nov. 1–Dec. 20, 2002.
SOURCE: Lee Rainie and John Horrigan, "Largest Growth Categories in Online Sales," in Holidays Online—2002, Pew Internet and American Life Project, January 7, 2003, http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Holidays_Online_2002.pdf (accessed December 19, 2004). Used by permission of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, which bears no responsibility for the interpretations presented or conclusions reached based on analysis of the data.
Home & garden	$555	78%
Furniture & appliances	$171	75%
Toys	$396	61%
Sports & fitness	$233	54%
Jewelry & watches	$216	45%
Movies & video	$205	36%
Apparel & accessories	$1,455	31%
Video games	$130	24%
Consumer electronics	$1,027	21%
Event tickets	$250	16%

According to Faith Online, those who used the Internet for religion or spirituality were more likely than general Internet users to be white, female, college-educated, and married. They were also more likely to live in the South or Midwest and to reside in households earning an income of $75,000 or more. Not all of the online faithful used the Internet to focus on their own religion. A little more than one-quarter (26%) said they had utilized the Internet to explore faiths other than their own. Of those, a little over half (51%) said they were curious about other religions, and 13% said that they did it to enhance spiritual growth. The study also found that most online believers (54%) described themselves as religious and spiritual, as opposed to spiritual but not religious (33%), religious but not spiritual (6%), or not religious and not spiritual (4%). Overall, online religious and spiritual people considered the Internet to be a supplement to rather than a substitute for their everyday religious life.