After 25 Years, 87 Percent of Americans Connected to the Web

25 years after Sir Tim Berners-Lee released the first popular Web browser, many of us can't live without it. 

 

Get your party pants on, people — the World Wide Web is turning 25 on March 12.

 

In honor of the Web's impending quarter-life crisis, the Pew Research Center on Thursday released a survey showing just how far it has come over the years. Two and a half decades after Sir Tim Berners-Lee released the first popular Web browser Mosaic, an overwhelming 87 percent of American adults now use the Internet — and most say it has positively impacted their life and society overall.

The survey of 1,006 adults, conducted last month, revealed that 90 percent think the Internet has been a good thing for them personally and 75 percent think it has improved society. 

Fifty-three percent said the Internet would be, at a minimum, "very hard" to give up while four in 10 said it's absolutely necessary to their lives.


"The invention of the Web by Sir Tim Berners-Lee was instrumental in turning the Internet from a geeky data-transfer system embraced by specialists and a small number of enthusiasts into a mass-adopted technology easily used by hundreds of millions around the world," Pew researchers wrote in the report.


At this point, the Internet is nearing saturation, or 100 percent usage, among those living in households earning at least $75,000 (99 percent), young adults ages 18 to 29 (97 percent), and those with college degrees (97 percent), the survey found. In addition, 68 percent of adults connect to the Internet with mobile devices like smartphones or tablet computers.


Pew has been tracking Internet adoption since 1995, when a mere 14 percent of Americans used the Web (see chart above). While there has been considerable debate over the years as to whether the Internet has strengthened or weakened personal relationships, 67 percent of Internet users polled last month said their online communication has led to tighter bonds with family and friends.


For more, check out Pew's full report.

Article curated from PC Magazine