According to a recent report released by Pew Internet & American Life Project, a lot more Internet users are using search engines on a daily basis today compared to 2002. That is far, far from a surprise, but it points to a prolonged bright future for online search, in its current form and in future forms.
Pew Internet surveyed 2,251 adults (ages 18+) in April and May and found that 1,553 were Web users. Their responses were used to accumulate the data for this report.
About one-third of all Web users in 2002 utilized search engines on a daily basis. That number has jumped up to 49% in 2008, indicating that search is the fastest growing activity on the Internet. While checking news was usually above or on par online searching as a popular daily online activity, it now garners a 39% response rate, leaving it significantly behind online search.
The biggest reason for online search’s beeline to prominence is the far more pervasive access to broadband Internet connections. Users with broadband connections at home are 94% more likely to have tried online search. Of those with broadband at home, 58% use search engines daily, compared to just 26% of users who have dial-up connections at home.
Another factor that has helped online search’s popularity is the frequency with which users can use search boxes on the Web.
E-mail is still the most popular daily online activity, with a 60% response rate. Online search and checking news are second and third, respectively, followed by checking weather (30%), researching hobbies (29%), surfing the Web for fun (28%), and visiting social networking sites (13%). The last figure might be surprisingly low, given the amount of media attention paid to these sites.
Search will continue to grow in prominence, especially as Web-enable mobile devices grow in popularity. Meanwhile, e-mail’s importance to consumers continues to shrink, as text messaging and social networking sites fulfill many of the conveniences associated with the communication channel.
Source:
http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3630465
Jason Hahn
e: jhahn221@gmail.com
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