Internet users think they're pretty good at using the Web. More than three-quarters of those surveyed last year by the USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future said their Internet skill was excellent or good.
When the survey was fielded in 2000, only 44% of users thought they were good or excellent at using the Internet. During the span between the two surveys, the percentage of respondents who said their online skills were poor fell from 28% to only 3%.
“As users feel more confident, they try different and more complex tasks online and begin to tap the real potential of the Web,” said USC’s researchers in a statement.
For years, digital marketers had to keep track of broadband penetration rates, browsers used, and other signs that campaign messages would reach their intended targets. Now it’s largely taken for granted that most Internet users will be able to watch an online video, forward a link, or otherwise perform the tasks required in the average digital campaign.
Not surprisingly, the rise in Internet skill parallels the rise in time spent online. US adult Internet users surveyed in October by Harris Interactive said they spent an average of 14 hours online per week, double the time they spent online in October 2001.
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