INTERNET
E-mail is killer app for Irish net users
20-02-2008
by
Irish adults surfing the internet are using it for e-mails, banking and shopping rather than social networking, according to a recent survey by iReach.
The survey of 800 home internet users was compiled by iReach in January and puts into perspective the popularity of social networking sites among adult users.
"A lot of people have a stereotypical view that the internet is being used by people who are on social networking or a much younger generation. This shows for the first time that the usage profiles... are much different to what people had expected," said Oisin Byrne managing director of iReach, speaking with ENN.
The survey found the most active online users are the 24-29 age group, while the least active are in the 50-55 age group. The section of adults using social networking sites the most are between 18 and 24 while the most active shoppers are in the 25 to 29 range.
Eighty percent of adults said they use the internet for e-mail, followed by 79 percent for "random surfing", 55 percent for online shopping and 44 percent for news or current affairs. Just 23 percent said they use the internet to access social media sites. Interestingly, the most active age group for sending e-mails is the 60-64 age group.
"What this is showing is 75 percent of [all] internet users are doing lots of other things apart from just putting stuff on Bebo or Facebook. [The survey] highlights the forgotten majority of people who are booking holidays, doing banking."
It was a different story for internet users under 18, with 70 percent using social networking sites such as MySpace, Bebo and Facebook as well as sites like YouTube. This was followed by school research at 54 percent, random surfing at 53 percent, e-mail at 52 percent and online gaming at 47 percent. Only 14 percent of those under 18 use the internet for accessing current affairs information, according to the survey.
The survey also found that four out five parents have given advice or rules to their children about using the internet. However, 54 percent of parents revealed they had little or no understanding of how social networking sites operated.
"A lot of parents say they have a good feel for social networking but when you look into it in detail... they don't really know as much as they think," said Byrne.
By Bryan Collins
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 