Dot-Com Collapse Not Affecting Internet Use, Study Says

The number of Americans using the Internet appears to have flattened, but those people already online are using it more intensively, according to a survey released Monday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

In announcing its findings, the Pew researchers emphasized that the dot-com collapse and a sense of "Internet fatigue" has not significantly altered use of the medium. "What's interesting to me is as the headlines are filled with dot-com burnouts, Internet users are not turning away," Susannah Fox, director of research, said in an interview. "The social story in a lot of ways is bigger than the business story."

The findings, however, come with caveats. The random telephone survey of 2,096 people was conducted in February, when, as Fox put it, "Napster was still going strong." And since then, more dot-com failures and tech layoffs have affected workplace use of the Internet and wiped out various Web sites.

Whatever impact the more recent developments might have had, the February survey suggested a flattening, if not a slight downturn, in numbers of Internet users. The survey found 53 percent of respondents used the Internet, compared with 56 percent during a survey in November and December. That difference, Fox noted, was within the survey's margin of error of 3 percentage points and might also reflect the seasonal effect of holiday shopping and messaging. "While we haven't seen growth from this fall, I wouldn't say it was a real huge downturn," Fox said. The results represented a slight increase from March 2000, when 49 percent of Americans said they used the Net.

Yet at the same time, use of the Internet has intensified by other measures. The survey found that 29 percent of Internet users said they were online more than they had been six months previous, while 54 percent were using it about the same amount of time and 17 percent were using it less.

To some Americans, Fox said, the Internet is a novelty of limited use, but many are incorporating it into their daily lives. "The Internet has become a utility," Fox said. "It's helping you do your job better or helping you with your homework." E-mail and instant messaging continue to grow in popularity. "What most Americans really love about the Internet is the communications aspect."

Demands of work and school were cited as the leading reasons people were spending more time online, followed by pursuits such as messaging friends, pursuing hobbies, playing online games, shopping and visiting auctions. The report found that women and the well-to-do were spending more time online than they had been six months previous. Some 33 percent of online women report greater use, compared to 25 percent of online men. And 35 percent of those living in households with annual incomes exceeding $75,000 reported greater use, compared with 24 percent of those with annual incomes less than $30,000.

People who said they were using the Internet less cited various reasons, including a decrease in interest and less time available. Some said they are no longer required to use the Internet at work or school, or they have lost access to their computer or Internet connection.

The survey found that use of Internet at work is intensifying, while its use at home is holding steady.

And for the first time, Pew asked whether online users had visited "adult content" sites. According to Fox, 15 percent said they had.