U.S. Home Internet Usage Growth Slows - Brief Article

Black Issues in Higher Education, August 30, 2001 by Ronald Roach

NEW YORK

The Nielsen/Net Ratings report revealed this month that the growth in home Internet use dropped last year in comparison to the prior 12-month period.

The number of people going online from U.S. homes went from 88.2 million in July 2000 to 102.1 million a year later, a jump of 16 percent. Online usage increased 41 percent from July 1999 to July 2000. The smaller jump in online use is believed to result from the economic downturn, sluggish PC sales and increased layoffs, according to Sean Kaldor, vice president of analytical services at NetRatings.

Although Kaldor predicts Internet penetration will continue to slow down, he notes that the Internet is beginning to attract those who have been wary of adopting new technologies.

Over the two-year period from July 1999 to July 2001, Internet use increased 63 percent, and 58 percent of Americans had Internet access in their homes as of July. In July 2000, 52 percent of Americans had home Internet access and 39 percent in July 1999.

"We're looking at a communications medium that can reach pretty much all of America," Kaldor told CNET News.

"We're way past the early adopters. We're into mainstream America with a variance of needs and interests," he added.

Nielsen/NetRatings also released its list of the 25 most-visited Internet properties, with the top five rankings remaining steady from the previous month. For the month of July, AOL Time Warner ranked at the top with 77.4 million visitors, followed by Yahoo with 68.99 million, MSN with 62 million, Microsoft with 40.1 million and the Lycos Network with 31.1 million.