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The number of people in the United States who use the Internet increased steadily from 2000 until 2012, when the percentage of offline adults fell to 15 percent. Since then, despite efforts by the government and social service organizations to encourage Americans to get online, that number hasn't budged, according to Pew.
Why are some Americans so reluctant to sign on? A third of those surveyed who aren't online (34 percent) said they don't think the Internet is relevant to their lives, or that they're simply not interested in what the Web has to offer. Another 32 percent of people who don't use the Internet said the technology required to access the Internet is just too tough to get the hang of, and 8 percent said they were "too old to learn."
But some people said they don't use the Internet because they cannot afford to do so, according to Pew. The survey data showed that 19 percent of those not online cited the expense of Internet service or owning a computer as their reason for staying offline.
Facebook and Google have been in the news recently because they want to get everyone online. What if those people don't want to?
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 04 2015, @02:57AM
My dad is just beyond retirement age, and is pretty technical, having a PhD in a technical field. He wrote software (in a domain-specific language) for years at work before retiring. He doesn't use the Internet. He can definitely afford it. He definitely has the technical chops. He just doesn't.
Mom does. She keeps up with family, and feeds dad all the best nuggets. I've even got her on Linux, now, so that I can upgrade her on my schedule, and not have to worry about malware so much.
(Score: 2) by GungnirSniper on Tuesday August 04 2015, @05:20AM
My grandfather is in his mid-80s and hasn't been online at home, ever. He's got an older computer and some games, and that's all he wants. It may as well be a supplemental Nintendo for all he cares, as long as it has Solitaire.
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