How pervasive has the internet become? Roughly 90 per cent of American households have three or more devices connected to the internet. And about half have five or more.
Recode reports on the latest findings from an Ericsson survey of technology in American homes. The internet has become an essential utility in modern America, not unlike indoor plumbing or electricity. Which might be why there’s real momentum for the FCC to treat it like an essential element of modern American life.
The fascinating disconnect here is that so many Americans are struggling financially, and yet the internet — something seen as a luxury within my lifetime — continues to creep into our homes. Because despite the staggering levels of poverty present in the wealthiest nation in the world (1 in 3 American kids live in poverty), about 9 out of 10 American households have a handful of internet-connected devices in use.
Bonus fun fact from the report that will either enrage you or give you hope for the future: By 2020, 90 per cent of the world’s population over six years old will have a mobile phone.
Picture: Getty
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