e-Society

Chris Randall
2011 Social Trends  
Social Trends: e-Society ST41 This is the first Social Trends chapter to focus on e-Society. For most people, new technology plays a crucial part in their daily lives, from use of a computer and having Internet access at home or work, to texting or making calls on a mobile phone. Even if people do not make direct use of this technology, they are surrounded by networks through which information constantly flows. It allows anyone to create new information, provides convenient access to
more » ... and enables people to interact with information produced by others, especially on the Internet. Digital television and radio services allow a greater number of channels to be broadcast and allow viewers to interact with what they see and hear. People can take new technology with them virtually anywhere they go; computers can be portable and phones can be mobile. Key points: Household access to the Internet  In 2010, 19.2 million households in the UK had Internet access, 73 per cent of households. This compares with 57 per cent in 2006, equivalent to 14.3 million households  In the UK in 2008, over 8 in 10 (83 per cent) households with dependent children had Internet access  In 2008, households in the highest 10 per cent of the income distribution in the UK were over three-and-a-half times as likely as those in the lowest 10 per cent to have an Internet connection, 96 per cent of households compared with 26 per cent Use of the Internet and other technologies  Just over a third (34 per cent) of adults aged 15 and over in the UK stated that they or someone else in their household had watched online television or videos in 2009  Over three-quarters (78 per cent) of all those who had accessed the Internet in the three months prior to interview had done so every day or almost every day, while a fifth (17 per cent) had accessed it at least once a week but not every day Online communication and social networking  The proportion of Internet users in the UK aged 16 and over who had their own social networking site profile doubled between 2007 and 2009, from 22 per cent to 44 per cent Children's use of new technology Office for National Statistics 4 by about 40 percentage points over the period. However, the increase was only 26 percentage points for one person households over state pension age.
doi:10.1057/st.2011.6 fatcat:uratqqlxhfapjkzwhbot2ing3y