OK, you are not narcissistic (see Saturday’s post about Facebook and narcissism). You are at ease in your own virtual skin; you love yourself just the right amount but not too much; and your Facebook updates are an uncomplicated and unselfconscious way of sharing your life with others. You are terrifyingly undysfunctional!
But it still begs the question: how much do you use the internet each week? That’s not a loaded question, just a factual enquiry.
Paul Revoir reports that adults in Britain now spend on average over 15 hours online each week. That’s five hours more than six years ago.
Eight out of ten adults go online through a different array of devices, an increase of 20 per cent on 2005, a survey by media regulator Ofcom reveals.
A combination of older generations getting online, the continuing rise of social networking sites and new technologies such as smartphones are being credited for the rise.
Research showed that 59 per cent of adult internet users have a profile on a social networking site. Of those, two-thirds visit the sites every day, up from a third in 2007.
The report suggests that while the take-up of the internet has slowed among younger generations, as most are now already online, growth is being driven by older age groups such as 45 to 54-year-olds, part of the ‘silver surfer’ phenomenon.
Internet access for this group has shot up by 10 percentage points in a year to 87 per cent.
Experts said older people were increasingly buying smartphones. The research found the overall estimated weekly internet use had increased from an average of 14.2 hours in 2010 to 15.1 hours last year.
Despite the array of portable devices available to access the internet, home usage also increased, from 9.4 to 10.5 hours.
The report did reveal that the most elderly members of society were being left behind in the online revolution.
Nearly nine in ten of over-75s do not use the internet on any device and these are thought to make up a large number of the more than 20 per cent of the population which has no internet.
What about you?
Interesting! I’m hoping to write a book on Addiction & the Catholic Family!
An important topic – I wish you all the best for that.
Too much!
Although it dosent help that uni work and research is mostly on-line.
However t.v is now off the agenda completely.
Until I closed my Facebook account I was hardly offline. Now I spend about two hours a day. Does that make me (almost) Mr average?
I spend less time emailing than l did 5 years ago and more time reading on the Internet. Its definitely replaced TV for me.
My dad died in 2009. My mum is 68 and has since met a lovely man (about the same age) on the Saga website. His wife died of cancer 5 years ago. They’re currently on holiday with his family. She’s taken her ipad along and will Skype tonight. I think she’s a lot more I.T savvy than most people her age!
” 57 channels and nothin’ on ” -Bruce Springsteen.
I’ve only ever met two others, single dads, who chose to live without a TV in the house. Separation anxiety for me, lasted a while. Struck up with a nice little radio and never looked back.
Local libraries for online; keeps you honest.
Are you Serge Ian Ferrier?