In a country with a staggering population density of 2 people per square kilometer, the Internet is simply a godsend in its power of convergence for Australians. Unfortunately though, this is not the scenario, says Queensland-based researcher Professor Amanda Spink.
According to Professor Spink of the Queensland University of Technology, Australians significantly lag in their knowledge and use of the Internet compared to Americans. From Australia's 3.9 million online subscribers in 2001, the figures for this year has risen to a mere 6 million--certainly not much to speak of.
The comparison to Americans is inevitable since Spink just spent the last 20 years in the United States. It's not just about online use however, but more specifically, Australia has no institution which vigilantly monitors Internet data, trends and growths. Currently, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) collects that data, along with other social and economic trends. But in terms of a specifically-focused institution on online use, Australia has none.
In a report by Nick Miller, Spink cites other countries as well, including the UK, Singapore, and China. In the US, the Pew Internet & American Life Project has made it a mission to gather and analyse data on online habits of Americans, for example, their patronisation of specific websites such as gambling sites, medical sites, online classifieds, psychic hotlines, etc and the impact of these in their lives.
"We have limited data on what web search engines Australians use, how they use them, what they search for, and the impact of the web on teenagers, elderly, children, businesses etc. This data is crucial for policy makers, businesses and citizens in understanding how the web is impacting Australian society."
For example, says Spink, majority of Americans turn to the Net for guidance regarding their health concerns. If they stumble on websites that haven't been updated in a long time, they risk getting and using old medical information that could prove harmful to them. This is the kind of things Spink is on the lookout for: discrepancies in online habits and online information in Australia that have direct influence in peoples' lives.
No doubt the Internet is revolutionizing the way people communicate, work, play, and live. Internet is becoming inextricably woven into our lives. We turn to the Internet for our research and term papers, for buying ballgame or concert tickets, for the latest music videos of our favourite artists, for posting free classified ads for our house, for online shopping of something as basic as a pair of rubber shoes. Now, there is a big gap between doing things online and offline. And, these days, it's almost always in the favor of the online method, with its instantaneous, far-reaching, and effective qualities. And of course no one wants to be left out on the Other side.
Especially with the current popularity of online classifieds and adult personal ads, it should be interesting to see how the Internet cyberscape changes in a few years. Hopefully, someone should be monitoring this trend as we speak.
Jonnalyn Ajeda
OzFreeOnline
www.ozfreeonline.com
classifieds.ozfreeonline.com
3/118 Church St
Hawthorn, VIC 3122
Phone: 1300 365 505
E-mail: info@ozfreeonline.com
|
Share: