Study Says 1 in 5 Adults Don't Use the Internet

It turns out that the Internet just might not be for everyone. A recent Pew report shows that as many as 1 in 5 (or 20%) of American adults do not use the world-wide web. Of those people not going online almost 50% say they don't feel it is relevent to their lives. So, where do these adults get their news, weather, books, music, clothing, directions, and everyday gossip?

Most of the people not using the web are seniors, high school drop-outs, and people making less than $30,000 per year. These populations are still using conventional methods to get clothing and gossip. However, with most of these Americans lacking education and/or money, it is easy to see why going online may be irrelevant. However, the study also showed that more and more people are accessing the web through mobile devices such as cellphones, tablets, and eReaders. All demographics are showing an increase in usage of mobile devices and it is likely that low-income and undereducated adults may soon find the Internet to be useful, relevant, and affordable.

For those adults that do use the world-wide web, searching for health related topics ranks as one of the main reasons to use the Internet. In addition, over 50% of users are participating in social networking. More and more employers are also starting to recruit new employees through sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Looking for a better job may eventually lead lower-income adults to the web and social networking. However, seniors and people with disabilities are less likely to join the digital crowd in the near future. So, it looks like books will still continue to be printed on paper, music will still be put on CDs, and movies will stay on DVDs. For now, there are still millions of adult Americans who prefer to not get those items from the web.

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