Monday, March 06, 2006
The Global Web
There is a misperception that creeps into one's thinking after using the Web for nearly 10 years. That assumption is everyone uses the internet. But the answer is not quite.
For example, I continue to misjudge the usage of the internet in the US. On Friday, I was asked how much penetration there is, and I guessed close to 85-90%. Well, no. It's 70%. I have to ask myself what the missing 30% are doing, and how one reaches them. My guess is the 30% are not easily reachable, even with traditional publicity techniques. Then, of course, the question arises whether we need to reach the missing. My guess is that for many messages, it is unimportant to do so, but for others, such as health and safety issues, it is critical. I'm not sure what I would answer if a governmental health agency asked how to get to populations missing from US media coverage. It would be an interesting media study to do.
For example, I continue to misjudge the usage of the internet in the US. On Friday, I was asked how much penetration there is, and I guessed close to 85-90%. Well, no. It's 70%. I have to ask myself what the missing 30% are doing, and how one reaches them. My guess is the 30% are not easily reachable, even with traditional publicity techniques. Then, of course, the question arises whether we need to reach the missing. My guess is that for many messages, it is unimportant to do so, but for others, such as health and safety issues, it is critical. I'm not sure what I would answer if a governmental health agency asked how to get to populations missing from US media coverage. It would be an interesting media study to do.
Comments:
Post a Comment