Twenty-five percent of users of e-mail or online chats are communicating with people they would not otherwise talk to if it weren’t for the Internet, reported Rockbridge Associates, Inc., during a presentation at the 2000 International Consumer Electronics Show. Titled “Ready or Not? What Consumers Really Think About Technology,” the presentation was based on data collected by Rockbridge as part of their annual National Technology Readiness Survey (NTRS).
“Whether communicating with family members located in a far-flung places, seeking out support groups or just someone to share a common interest, an increasing number of Internet users are greatly expanding the number of people they interact with,” said Charles Colby, president of Rockbridge. “At the same time, they are decreasing their usage of other types of technology. Online users report that approximately nine long distance calls per week are replaced by e-mails or online chats. In addition, these same consumers indicate that an average of 3.3 hours per week of TV time is displaced by using the Internet.”
“As consumers broaden their usage of the Internet,” continued Colby, “they begin to want more from this communications medium. Nearly half would like to see two-way video phone calls via computer become a reality. Others would like to combine technologies, such as being able to send voice messages over the Internet.”
The NTRS, a survey of 1001 randomly chosen households across the U.S., provides objective data on how consumers view the impact of technology on everyday life. Developed over a two-year period, the survey is based on a model designed by A. Parasuraman, the James W. McLamore professor of Marketing at the University of Miami and a leading scholar in the field of services marketing. Rockbridge and Parasuraman used the results to develop the Technology Readiness Index, so that companies may apply the same survey techniques to their own databases. Organizations may purchase this syndicated survey, as well as obtain a one-time license for the Index.
Established in 1992, Rockbridge Associates, Inc., is a market research and consulting firm that focuses on technology issues for organizations in the services and information sectors.
For more information, contact Gina Woodall, President at 703-757-5213 ext. 11 or gwoodall@rockresearch.com, or Charles Colby, Chief Methodologist and Founder, at 703.757.5213 ext. 12 or ccolby@rockresearch.com.