The United States Census Bureau has released an infographic detailing computer and internet trends in America, showing just how far computer technology has penetrated our lives in just 30 years. The infographic pulls data from the 2012 Current Population Survey to deliver information on computer and internet use as well as how Americans access the internet using mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
Internet usage has increased in a major way when compared to data collected from 1984, which should come as no surprise. In 1984, only 8.2% of Americans had computers in their homes. By 1997, 18% of Americans had internet access in the home, with that number becoming 74.8% by 2012.
As far as smartphone usage goes, the Census Bureau found that 45.3% of Americans age 25 and older were utilizing smartphones in 2012. The report found that 70% of Americans age 25-34 used a smartphone, with the number rapidly decreasing as the groups get older. Only 40% of Americans age 45-64 use smartphones, while 14.5% of people 65 and up use a mobile device. The most popular usages for a smartphone included sending e-mails, browsing the web, using maps and navigation, social media, playing games and listening to music.
There’s plenty more interesting in the infographic, which can be found below.
