Tuesday, September 7, 2004
UK OK Computer
Posted by Jonathon Watkins in "THOUGHT" @ 12:00 AM
The BBC has a story about a British Computer Society survey, which concludes that computers have become a normal part of everyday life for most Brits. The survey found that 75% of adults have used a computer at some stage in their lives, which seems about right from my experience. However, calling the UK a 'nation of computer buffs' seems to be going little far perhaps:
"Most people use the machines to surf the internet, send e-mails or for a spot of word processing. Another popular activity was playing online games. But this does not mean that the UK had turned into a nation of computer addicts. Only a third of those questioned use their PC for more than five hours a week, with an average figure of 10 hours a week. However, the report also flagged up that more than half still saw computer technology as far too complicated and felt they were being left behind by the latest advances."
It's interesting that 26% reported having no access at all to a computer. Initially I thought this showed that computers were widely available, but thinking about it, surely folks have access to computers in their local libraries? I.e. that figure seems quite high really. An average figure of 10 hours of PC use a week seems rather interesting, as I personally usually do around 60 hours a week in front of a computer. And that's not counting time with the Pocket PC! I bet PPCT readers are bringing the UK average up by quite a margin. :wink: So how many hours a week do you spend in front of a computer and using a Pocket PC?
"Most people use the machines to surf the internet, send e-mails or for a spot of word processing. Another popular activity was playing online games. But this does not mean that the UK had turned into a nation of computer addicts. Only a third of those questioned use their PC for more than five hours a week, with an average figure of 10 hours a week. However, the report also flagged up that more than half still saw computer technology as far too complicated and felt they were being left behind by the latest advances."
It's interesting that 26% reported having no access at all to a computer. Initially I thought this showed that computers were widely available, but thinking about it, surely folks have access to computers in their local libraries? I.e. that figure seems quite high really. An average figure of 10 hours of PC use a week seems rather interesting, as I personally usually do around 60 hours a week in front of a computer. And that's not counting time with the Pocket PC! I bet PPCT readers are bringing the UK average up by quite a margin. :wink: So how many hours a week do you spend in front of a computer and using a Pocket PC?
