Internet Usage Among Women Surges

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August 15, 2000 (4:54 AM EDT)

By Jill Morneau,

Looking for your teenage daughter or grandmother? Try the Internet.

A recent study by Media Metrix and Jupiter Communications shows teens and senior citizens to be the fastest-growing demographic on the Web.

"These two groups were later in establishing their Web presence; now they are demanding content that is relevant to their lives," said Anne Rickert, an analyst at Media Metrix.

Seniors were introduced through other family members, as they watched them using the Internet for their own purposes. Now they use the Internet for information on health, genealogy, entertainment, hobbies, leisure, and personal interest. The 12- to 17-year-olds are taught to use the Internet through friends and school, and it has become very much a sense of their community.

"Teenagers very much crave a sense of belonging and community," Rickert said. "The Internet connects them to millions of other teenage girls."

The overall study, called "It's A Women's Worldwide Web," showed women outpacing men in terms of Internet usage.

"Men were the earlier adapters of technology," Rickert said. "Women have eclipsed men for the majority of users."

The study shows the number of women online surpassed that of men for the first time ever in the first quarter of 2000 in the United States.

"They have embraced the concept of applied technology," she said. "I think looking at the Internet, women are asking what can the Internet do for me to make my life more productive, easier?"

The results from the report are taken from a patented metering device that resides on a user's computer, Rickert said. Media Metrix has 55,000 people participating in the study in the United States, and 100,000 people worldwide.

Rickert said women between 35 and 44 years of age appeared to be the most consumer educated group surfing the Web, judging from the fact that they spend three to four minutes or more on a site, an amount of time that could feasibly allow for a purchase to occur.

"Women in this age category are an important part of the online audience," Rickert said. "They are looking for themselves and for the household as well. They are a time-pressed group that looks to compare prices and, hopefully, save time for when they head into the store."