I spend countless hours on the Internet.
I surf the web just to surf the web. Without a destination, I scour the depths of cyberspace, looking for some of the most meaningless information about the most mundane topics until all hours of the night.
But, at times, it turns out the Internet is also quite useful. Instead of spending money on long-distance phone bills, I use messaging software to keep in close contact with my friends.
Thanks to the Internet, I’ve even rekindled a few friendships that might have otherwise been lost.
“The ability to engage in synchronous communication affordably and effectively with my friends is why I do it,” one expert said. “I think it’s a medium that combines mass media and interpersonal communication into one powerful tool.”
It turns out I’m not alone. A new Harris Poll finds that the Internet continues to become more useful and more used, although the total Internet population is rising more slowly than it was in the late 90s.
By a wide margin, sending or receiving e-mail is still the most common online activity. It is followed by research for work or school, looking for news, including the weather, gathering information about products or services, and looking for information about hobbies or special interests.
These were also the most common online activities three years ago. Interestingly, the biggest change over the last three years is that among the now larger online population, the frequency of e-mail use has declined somewhat while using the Internet for a slew of other purposes has increased.
For me, my countless hours are usually dedicated to research of railroads or obscure railfanning information. It’s amazing what people post to the Internet. I can’t say much, I suppose. If I can’t find a site about some railfanning topic, I create one.