Net Stats: Internet Access Continues to Grow

Internet access in the United States and throughout the world is continuing to grow steadily. In early 2016, nearly 50 percent of the worlds total population was accessing the Internet. In the United States, 88.5 percent of the population was accessing the Internet. Whereas many western European countries are in the mid-90 percent range and slowly move toward 100 percent penetration, Iceland is still ranked as the only country having 100 percent of its population online. At the other end of the spectrum, many small and very poor countries are still struggling to gain access. In countries such as Guinea, Somalia, and Eritrea, less than 2 percent of the population is online. In between the bottom and the top, access varies widely. In Asia, about 50 percent of the population has access, while less than 10 percent of those living in Africa have access.

Internet Access Case Study Questions

3-42. Search the web for the most up-to-date Internet statistics.

3-43. Interpret the numbers that you find. What is striking/important about these statistics?

3-44. Think about how Internet access numbers may look in 5 years and 10 years. What changes have to be made to the global networking infrastructure? What issues and opportunities do you see arising?

3-45. Using your spreadsheet software of choice, create a graph/figure that effectively visualizes the statistics/changes you consider most important.