Don't Blame Me: It's the Phone's Fault!

DON'T BLAME ME: IT'S THE PHONE'S FAULT!
[SOURCE: Pew Research Center, AUTHOR: John B. Horrigan, Pew Internet & American Life Project]
[Commentary] What does it mean when half of adult Americans have relatively distant relationships to modern information technology such as the Internet and feature-rich cell phones? What are the implications of another 18% of adults having a good deal of information and communication technology at hand, yet expressing varying degrees of dissatisfaction about it? We have encountered these questions, in various forms, since the Pew Internet Project released its typology of users of information and communication technology (ICT). Two themes emerge from the typology that explains why many Americans are not tuned into the information age. 1) Usability: many cell phone and Internet users need help when setting up or using new technology. 2) Many technology users simply do not associate ICTs with greater levels of control or productivity in their lives. number of lessons can be drawn from the utility and usability gaps. First, the technology industry could improve how it designs gadgets, especially for older Americans. Second, efforts to convey the social benefits of ICT use to several segments of the population would have substantial payoffs. Third, some people will probably remain technological contrarians. These would be the Lackluster Veterans and Connected but Hassled groups -- the 18% of the adult population who have put money on the table for ICTs, but either dislike the ease with which they can be contacted as a result or find the gadgets hard to use. Finally, it is important to remind ourselves of a truth understood by scholars of technology: It takes a long time for new innovations to diffuse deeply in society.
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/517/dont-blame-me-its-the-phones-fault
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/213/report_display.asp