In a time where the digital age is in full swing, it may seem as though everyone is connected to the internet. Sometimes, with the amount of companies and services that are switching to online models, it seems as though a computer is essential for daily function. For the majority of Americans, it would be hard to imagine spending a day without checking one’s phone, not only for leisure but out of necessity for work or school. However, 7% of adults today do not use the internet–which is 17.9 million people in America.
The majority of the 7% of adults, as would be assumed, constitute the older population. People who don’t use the internet are also more commonly less educated and of lower income, but age is the biggest factor. 14% of adults who make less than $30,000 per year do not use the internet. This would lead to accessing the internet being more difficult, as the average broadband bill in the U.S. is $59.99 per month. Also, 14% of people who have a high school diploma or less do not use the internet, while as little as 2% of people with a college degree or more do not go online. Surprisingly, there is no significant difference in internet usage between people who live in rural or urban areas.
These numbers have been going down exponentially since the start of the century, which is parallel to the increasing difficulty of maintaining an internet-free lifestyle. In 2000, 48% of adults said they didn’t use the internet. By 2005, that percentage was down to 32%, and five years later to 24%. This is occurring as everything like clothes and grocery shopping and work meetings are shifting to an online focus.
So then do some people still not want to use the internet? As previously mentioned, there is the issue of not being able to access the internet. But many people who could easily access the internet choose not to, for many reasons. Many senior citizens sometimes feel too old, and that it is something mainly for younger generations. On a similar note, they may feel too afraid and overwhelmed to learn about something that could be at times a very strange concept for anyone. Seniors are also afraid of what could happen as a consequence of using the internet, things such as internet addiction which is what many adults are facing. They also might have no interest in the internet, not having any reason to for their job and going for the majority of their lives without being online. In fact, a quarter of senior citizens still do not use the internet.
There are also many young people who have grown up using the internet, and are now deciding to log off of social media in increasingly large numbers. In a 2017 survey of British schoolchildren, 63% of people said they would be happy if social media had never been invented. Jeremiah Johnson, 18, grew tired of the pressures of social media. “If you’re having a bad day and scrolling through it, you’re constantly bombarded with pictures of people going to parties. Even if that’s not an accurate portrayal of their lives, that’s what you see. So I stopped using it. It became depressing.” Even teenagers who are starting to use social media less often find that their lives have become fuller because of it, choosing to spend the time that would have been spent scrolling by finding hobbies or enjoying time outdoors.
The fact that people can spend so much time away from the internet is probably unimaginable for so many people, some people who may want to start using the internet less but feel that it is impossible in the modern world. In reality, though, 1 in 3 people around the globe have never used the internet. These people still manage to live in the modern world not being tethered to screens and wires.