World Internet Report: Pioneering Report Finds Remarkable Similarities and Significant Differences Globally

Some headlines from this report from13 partner countries or regions, issued by the Center for the Digital Future at the University of South California.

• 40 percent or more of users said that one-half or less of information on the Internet is reliable.
• Larger percentages ranked the Internet as an important or very important source of information compared to television, newspapers, and radio.
• In 10 countries and regions, more than 70 percent of students who are Internet users go online for school-related work at least weekly, and in nine of the WIP countries and regions, more than 30 percent of students go online daily or several times a day for schoolwork.
• Nine of the WIP countries reported 22 percent or less of non-users who said they don’t go online because they don’t know how to use the Internet or they are confused by technology.

One stand-out issue for me is whether in a broadband, and mobile-rich West we forget the diversity of problematic personal, economic and cultural experiences that exist for internet users.