[extropy-chat] technology optimists vs pessimists

[spike]

Interesting article:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/08/03/broadband.tv.reut/index.html



This is the comment that really caught my attention:  

"The study defines a tech optimist as believing technology will make life
more enjoyable, while pessimists are indifferent or even hostile to
technology. Pessimists outnumber optimists 51 percent to 49 percent."


I was shocked!  Half the population are indifferent or 
even hostile to technology?  Oy freaking vey.  spike  



Study: Technology 'optimists' turn off TV

Wednesday, August 3, 2005; Posted: 2:56 p.m. EDT (18:56 GMT) 

LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- Broadband Internet surfers
in North America watch two fewer hours of television per week than do those
without Internet access, while those using a dial-up connection watch 1.5
fewer hours of TV.

The data come from a Forrester Research study released Tuesday that uses
what it calls the longest-running survey of its kind, counting nearly 69,000
people in the U.S. and Canada as participants.

Broadband Internet users watch just 12 hours of TV per week, compared with
14 hours for those who are offline, according to the study, "The State of
Consumers and Technology: Benchmark 2005."

Forrester also predicts that the number of broadband households in the U.S.,
which already soared to 31 million at the end of last year from 2.6 million
in 1999, will swell to 71.4 million by 2010.

While its conclusion that Internet usage detract from other media is not
new, the study delves deeper than others, separating consumers into various
categories, including technology "optimists" and "pessimists" and "tenured
nomadic networkers."

Folks making up the latter category have had Internet access in their
networked homes for at least five years and own a laptop computer. These
nomads watch just 10.8 hours of TV each week.

While newspapers and magazines also suffer a bit from Internet competition,
radio and video games do not, the study concludes.

The study defines a tech optimist as believing technology will make life
more enjoyable, while pessimists are indifferent or even hostile to
technology. Pessimists outnumber optimists 51 percent to 49 percent.

"Online media attracts technology optimists in droves," says the report,
noting that they are three times more likely to use streaming media and
peer-to-peer file sharing and read blogs as are their pessimistic
counterparts.

Optimists play video games, read magazines and listen to the radio more than
do pessimists, while pessimists watch more television. Newspaper reading,
according to the study, is identical among the two groups.

Another conclusion reached by the study is that "consumers went device crazy
in 2004," snapping up all sorts of digital entertainment gadgets, with
adoption rates of many poised for more explosive growth in the next six
years.

Experiencing the most rapid growth might be digital video recorders, which
will be in 42.7 million U.S. households in 2010, up from 6.2 million at the
end of last year.

In the same time frame, DVD recorders will go to 56 million from 12.1
million; MP3 players to 40.1 million from 10.8 million; DVD players to 102.9
million from 76.2 million; and video game consoles to 48.8 million from 40.1
million.

The report, though, appears to give short shrift to satellite radio, not
including it in its U.S. household technology adoption forecast -- though it
does note in a section on in-car device ownership that cars equipped with
satellite radios will double to 5 percent in 2005 and that buyers of Audis
have the highest adoption rate of satellite radios. 

The same section notes that in-car MP3 players are most popular in Acuras,
Isuzus and Lexuses, while in-car video is most popular with GMC buyers.