USA — According to a recent study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, there’s little reason to pity those poking along on the internet at dial-up speed. As insane as it may sound to those addicted to download speed, a surprising number of old-tech users… like it that way.Associated Press Internet reports that it’s not so much a lack of copper or fiber wire that’s keeping many Americans from getting on the broadband wagon; it’s a lack of interest. Of 2,251 adults surveyed — 1,553 of whom are currently online — only 14-percent said they wished they could upgrade but were unable to access newer technology. Another 35-percent cited price as the barrier to faster connections, while an impressive 19-percent said there wasn’t anything that could lure them away from their dial-up accounts.
Study author John Horrigan believes that the information should be of use to internet technologists, even if it does fly in the face of conventional wisdom.
“It’s going to have to be a process of getting people more engaged with information technology and demonstrating to people it’s worth it for them to make the investment in time and money,” he advises.
Horrigan discovered that 55-percent of American adults currently have broadband access from home, which is an 8-percent increase over the previous year and 17-percent more than during March of 2007. A mere 10-percent of Americans have dial-up accounts from their homes.
Sales of higher speed accounts is lowest in rural areas and among African-Americans. A third of Americans with no access to the internet report having zero interest in ever logging on; not at dial-up, DSL, cable, satellite, or any other speed. Of those, 20-percent have had accounts in the past but let them lapse. Unsurprisingly, lower-income and older Americans are less likely to be online.
Given that 24-percent of rural dial-up users indicated a desire for broadband, traditional concerns about access to more modern technology appear sound for that demographic. Faster connection speeds are believed by many to offer rural residents greater professional and academic opportunities than currently exist.
A mere 11-percent of those liking in the ‘burbs and 3-percent of urban dwellers wanted greater surfing power.
Some pundits believe that if more dial-up users realized the content they are missing – and had viable provider options – things would change.
