Internet Demographics: Who are the users? By Marion Walton, Multimedia Education Group, University of Cape Town

How many Internet users? Measuring the number of Internet users is difficult because: u Counts can serve various vested interests - ISPs, sites seeking advertising revenue, advertisers defending traditional budgets against new media demands u There are problems with technology-based counting –Counting networks vs. counting users –Counting machines vs. counting users –Counting ISP accounts vs. counting users –Users = number of accounts * 3 (Nua, UN ECA) u User counting via expensive surveys - U.S. research leads the way e.g. AC Nielsen ( participants)

Internet Audience Estimates u World Total - March 2000: u Africa - March 2000: u South Africa - Aug 1999: (Figures from

U.S. Internet Users u Reaching Critical Mass? t 64% of US have gone online in the last year t 31% go online daily (AC Nielsen users >12 years old) u Seven Daily Internet Activities Go online 60% Send 52% Get news22% Surf for fun21% Research - hobby18% Weather16% Research - job16% (Pew Internet and American Life March 2000 Poll)

Don’t simply apply U.S. research to Africa u Teledensity < 2/100 u High relative cost of connectivity & Low per capita income u Illiteracy u Low bandwidth u Regulatory obstacles u Internet Users as proportion of population –Africa excluding SA1:1500 –World average1:38 –Developed countries1:4

African Connectivity Rapid growth post ‘96 Primarily capital cities Hosts = Latvia Phone shops, telecentres (Mike Jensen)

SA: The African Exception? u SA Teledensity –Universal Service (fixed or cell phone in home) 28.8% –Universal Access (can access a phone) 81.6% u Rural Teledensity 11.2% (Census 1996 ) u Government Policy “In South Africa, we have revolutionized our infrastructure. In the next five years, 75 per cent of every household will have access to a telephone that would have digital fibre-optic high-speed broadband backbone capable of delivering all the applications of electronic commmerce” (Jay Naidoo, Previous Minister for Post, Telecommunications and Broadcasting October 9, 1998) u International ‘Aid’ G8 Conference: assistance to developing world- connectivity and information technology (July 2000)

S.A. Internet Audience u MediaAfrica - Aug 1999: –endorsed by ISPA –Dialup –Academic (univ, 700 schools) –Corporate u Mike Jensen - July 1999: u Webchek - May 1999: with Research Surveys

Profile of SA Internet User: ‘98 u “Married male, aged between 26 and 30 and English speaking. He’s well educated (has completed high school and is highly likely to be a university graduate0 and earns between R and R per month. He uses Windows 95 as his operating system of choice and accesses the Internet equally from home and work. He’s likely to work in the computer industry in one way or another and has been using the Net for a year or two. (South Africa Online survey - only 700 respondents 1997/1998)

Profile of SA Internet User: ‘99 u Majority under 25: –19% < 18 –42% –22% –10% –5% –2% >55 u Male majority decreases but still significant: –68% male, 32% female u Highest income groups - predominantly white (Interface Media Report interviews).

SA Web Users: Who are the ‘minorities’ - ‘99 u Black South Africans - LSM A: –0.1% Men and women with Home Access –0.6% Women with Work Access –1.2%Men with Work Access (Webchek Report surveyed). u South African Women (urban centres): –18.3% White women with access at home or work (Webchek Report surveyed).

Staying up to date u Nua Internet Surveys ‘How Many Online’. Available (accessed 11/05/2000) u ACNielsen ‘Homescan Net*Views Survey’ available (accessed 11/05/2000) u Zakon, Robert H’obbes’ ‘Hobbes’ Internet Timeline: The Definitive Internet History’ v5.0 (accessed 11/05/2000) available (accessed 11/05/2000) u Acuity Media Africa ‘The Third SA Internet Services Industry Survey Available (accessed 11/05/2000) u Jensen, Mike ‘African Internet Status’ available (accessed 11/05/2000) u Webchek ‘Webcheck: Strategic Internet Insights’ available (accessed 11/05/2000)