Out in Front: December 21, 1995

Based on a recent survey of Internet traffic, the 10 most popular uses of the Internet in descending order of use are:

1. Electronic mail. At least 85% of the inhabitants of cyberspace send and receive e-mail. Some 20 million e-mail messages cross the Internet every week.
2. Research.
3. Downloading files.
4. Discussion groups. These include public groups, such as those on Usenet, and the private mailing lists that ListServ manages.
5. Interactive games. Who hasn’t tried to hunt down at least one game?
6. Education and self-improvement. On-line courses and workshops have found yet another outlet.
7. Friendship and dating. You may be surprised at the number of electronic "personals" that you can find on the World Wide Web.
8. Electronic newspapers and magazines. This category includes late-breaking news, weather, and sports. We’re likely to see this category leap to the top five in the next several years.
9. Job-hunting. Classified ads are in abundance, but most are for technical positions.
10. Shopping. It’s difficult to believe that this category even ranks. It appears that "cybermalls" are more for curious than serious shoppers.

The survey shows that individuals, corporations, business people, and groups use Internet primarily as a communications vehicle as these users reduce their use of fax machines, telephones, and the postal service. E-mail should remain at the top of the list. The Internet has continued and will continue to change how we view the world. -- by Diane Myers, Analyst Communications, End Use, In-Stat.

In-Stat, Scottsdale, AZ. (602) 483-4442.