On the whole, the sampled students believe that people will need to use the Internet in the future by a ratio of 92.5% to 7.5%. However, when asked if people already need to use the Internet, only 58% thought it was currently necessary. This data is just one example of how the Internet has not yet completely diffused itself throughout the University population. The remaining data goes to suggest why it has not become more widely adopted in this sample, and also why it has already been adopted by certain people.
The initial inspiration for this study came from pondering the influences of the Knowledge Gap on Internet usage, and vice versa. The Knowledge Gap theory basically says that people with money can afford the education which will let them earn more money, and so on. While their upward social mobility increases exponentially, those without the initial opportunity to have money or an education will remain in lower social standing, ever more unable to compete.
In this sample, all the respondents are at a university. The original social standing should now be equalized since everybody has the same chance to be educated. However, the results suggest that the influence of personal characteristics (such as age, race, income) is not completely neutralized upon entering the university. Providing access to machines and classes did not make everyone use the Internet because merely eliminating cost and education as barriers to using the Internet does not also eliminate the other characteristics of individuals that govern their propensities to adopt the Internet.
With respect to Age and Education
With respect to Usage Influences
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