"Internet users more mature"
01--- jan --02
http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,3518057%255E911,00.html
"AUSTRALIAN Internet users have matured from curious surfers to time savers who use the world wide web to catch up on news, pay bills and do their shopping.
A Neilsen/Netrating study of 10,000 Australians who use the Internet at home found users were primarily interested in accessing sites which supplied new information or allowed users to bank or shop on-line.
Andrew Reid, a senior analyst with Neilsen, said in the past Australians had spent more time on the net but had mostly surfed with no specific focus. "They've now migrated or matured from general surfing habits to one where they're actually using the Internet for real purposes which will save them time and effort," Mr Reid said.
Mr Reid said Internet usage was up 8.6 per cent in Australia over the past 12 months but the time users spent on line had fallen.
"We expect that to accelerate over the next 12 months," he said.
"It's actually become a tool rather than a medium." """"""
