Web users are "weird

As I read this article, taken from pcworld.ca ~ it made me look at my own internet usuage. Hmm, am I heavy Internet user? I do spend an awful lot of time online, sometimes I do wake up and turn the laptop on but no, I'm not that bad.


Stats Can: Web users are "weird"

Juan Pablo de Dovitiis
PCworld.ca
August 2, 2006

As Stats Can releases information about the "uniqueness" of web users, our very own web addict Juan Pablo de Dovitiis gives his rather different take into what this data really means for Canadian web users.

A new survey by Statistics Canada has dispelled an urban myth which implied that internet users are normal people. In fact, the conclusions of the survey, released last Tuesday, point out that "Heavy internet users lead a considerably different lifestyle than individuals who do not surf the web".

The survey's findings stem from the 2005 General Social Survey, which asked 20,000 respondents over 15 years of age to provide a detailed account of their activities over a 24 hour period. According to the survey, a heavy user is someone who spends more than one hour per day online.

Among the more interesting findings in the study is the fact that heavy Canadian web users spend less time socializing with their spouses, families and friends, while staying more at home and being less interested in outdoor activities. Just as importantly, heavy web surfers also spent less time doing things that the general population takes for granted, such as doing paid work and chores around the home, sleeping, resting or even thinking.

Further proof that web surfers are really friendly sociopaths in disguise comes from the fact they spend "striking" amounts of time alone. For example, according to the survey, moderate internet users (individuals who use the internet five minutes to one hour per day) spend 26 more minutes alone than non-users, while heavy internet users spend a whopping two more hours a day by themselves than their less monkish counterparts.

Not so lonely

However, there is some cause for hope, since the study also points out that it is not a matter of heavy internet users not wanting to interact with others, but rather not wanting to see the people they interact with. By using tools like email or chatrooms, heavy internet users have mastered the art of non-physical interaction, something they had ample practice with, since they are also "more likely to spend time conversing with others over the phone".

Heavy internet users also tend to be about eight years younger than non-users and, in six out of 10 cases, they are male. Perhaps that is the reason this group spends 33 minutes less per day doing domestic chores, such as child care and housekeeping. Not surprisingly, heavy users also spend half an hour less with their spouses and with children than non-users, although the survey does not specify if this is a result of their chatroom addictions or because they are avoiding their loved ones in order to do less house work.

Heavy internet users also tend to have no idea who their neighbours are, and describe their sense of belonging to their community as "somewhat" or "very" weak, although they do tend to have the same number of close relationships as more neighbourly types. This is also somewhat consistent with the fact that they are less likely to engage in physical activities, volunteering or watching sports and movies, while expressing greater enjoyment in participating in clubs and social organizations.

However, heavy internet users make up for their lack of physical prowess by watching just as much TV as non-users, while also reading more newspapers and books. All in all, quite a gargantuan information gathering feat.