Internet replaces TV shows, books
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 12/01/2006
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Americans have begun to use the Internet as a primary form of entertainment, according to a study at the University of Southern California.
The USC study, which has been conducted most years since 2000, found that since households got Internet access, the amount of time spent watching TV and reading has decreased. The study also showed that of people who had been online and are not anymore, the main reason for the drop-off is a change in jobs or a broken computer, not dissatisfaction.
In 2000, users spent an average of 9.4 hours online a week; six years later, that average has risen to 14 hours a week.
In addition to becoming a primary means of entertainment, the Internet is also used as a punishment in many American households. Forty-seven percent of adults say they have withheld the Internet from their children as a form of punishment. One in five adults in American also believe their kids spend too much time online; 80 percent of children maintain that the Internet is important for schoolwork.
Americans over the age of 66 are still the least connected, with only 38 percent online; every other age group has at least 74 percent usage. The most connected age group in the country is 18 and under, with 99 percent.
Since the country has become more likely to use the Internet, the amount of time spent watching TV and reading has decreased, according to the USC study. Thirty-six percent of Americans say they have decreased the amount of time they spend watching TV since getting the Internet, and nearly 25 percent say they spend less time reading.
Forty-one percent of veteran users, those who have been online for at least nine years, say they spend less time watching TV, compared to the 23 percent who joined the Internet within the last year.
Although the Internet is an important source of both information and entertainment, it should not become the only one. Americans should continue to get other forms of entertainment, like reading and watching TV in addition to surfing the Internet.