In August 2011, the Pew Internet Project released findings from their May 2011 Internet Survey that found 92% of online adults use two online features: email (61% on an average day) and search engines to find information on the web (59% on an average day). Given the growth of the smartphone market and mobile access, increased broadband, and the rise of social media, it is somewhat surprising to find that the most fundamental online functions remain at the top of online adult activities.

Since the Pew Internet Project began in 2002, email and the use of search engines have consistently been the top two activities performed by adults online, with at least eight of ten adults using search engines and nine out of ten adults emailing. The following table illustrates email and search engine use compared to other common online activities.

Search

Search is an online activity that has been in existence for quite some time, which is why it may come as a surprise to some that the heaviest users are the youngest adults, those 18-29 years old (96%). However, 87% of the oldest adults, those 65 and older, are using search engines as well. When looking at other demographics, some patterns from 2002 continue to hold true while others have disappeared since then. Those adults with higher education levels or those at the highest income levels are still the heaviest users of search. Yet men and white adults, who were previously identified as heavier users of search than women, African-American and Hispanic adults, no longer show such a pattern.

Email

While the statistics on email are similar to search — the youngest adults, 18-29 year-olds, and those with higher education levels or at the highest income levels the heaviest users — other differences exist. White online adults are significantly more likely to use email on a typical day compared to African-American and Hispanic online adults (63% v. 48% v. 53%, respectively), and women are no longer more likely to ever use email compared to men.

Summary

It’s important to recognize and not underestimate the continued significance of search and email in today’s busy digital world. Sometimes tried and true online activities can still compete with new technologies. So before investing large amounts of time learning new technologies or spending budget dollars on them, it may be best to see if your target audience can be successfully reached through email marketing and search (AdWords campaigns, for example), and then perhaps supplementing with other technologies.

 

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