Internet reader figures & the digital divide
Online the Guardian remains the UK’s best read newspaper, while offline it has never come close. It’s tempting to suggest that that online figure is explained by American’s looking for liberal comment, but the Guardian is comfortably ahead on UK readers alone.
And these figures aren’t at all close. The Guardian secured 18.4m unique users in October 2007, compared with 13.5m for its nearest online rival, the Daily Mail. Meanwhile, offline the same month saw The Sun read by 3,126,866 each day, while the Guardian managed just 364,513. The Sun’s online readership actually fell a whopping sixteen per cent to less than half that of the Guardian.
The Daily Mail’s success notwithstanding, with the former broadsheets dominating online, while the tabloids dominate in print, it’s hard not to conclude that online and print readers are very different. The disparity is further evidence of a digital divide, with the internet yet to become a way of life for those from working class backgrounds.
Comments (3 comments)
Stephen,
interesting
What does it say about readers habits? The nature of online publishing and PR?
I would be interested in any theories or views as I unfortunately do not have the answer
Rob
Rob Artisan / November 26th, 2007, 6:06 pm / #
Rob
I think Stephen is right to see this as a class issue.
Access to computers is more limited in poorer homes - obviously. I think I read a very low figure for computer ownership in Salford for example.
However it also destroys the myth that the internet will kill the profits of newspaper companies.
In fact it gives them an opportunity to sell ads targetted at a more affluent and younger audience. A deomographers wet dream.
But do the bosses has the imagination to exploit it?
Miles / December 4th, 2007, 8:42 am / #
Certainly, the digital divide is a problem. Negroponte of MIT is doing a lot to address the situation with his low income global computers. Please think about that.
http://www.moneyminuteweekly.com/
Money Minute Staff / December 7th, 2007, 7:42 pm / #
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