From time to time it happens. I go online for something very specific, like checking my e-mail, and something catches my eye – a link in a message, an interesting teaser – and three Web pages later I suddenly come to my senses, “What am I doing here?”
It appears I am not alone. A new research study by the Pew Internet & American Life study released yesterday shows that more Americans are searching the web for fun,
In a survey conducted in December 2005, some 40 million people said they were surfing for fun on a typical day during the month. This number is up from 25 million people who were browsing for no particular reason in November 2004.
This study gives a glimmer of how important links can be to driving traffic from those that are browsing for fun, that see the Internet as a destination and that use it as entertainment.
Some other findings of the survey are informative to help craft Web destinations to capture the browsing millions.
Web surfers were more likely to be young, male, and have broadband connections:
- 34% of people browsing for fun were men, compared with 26% of women.
- 37% of people browsing for fun were 18-29; 31% were 30 – 49; 24% were over age 50.
- 39% of home broadband users were browsing for fun, compared with 23% of dial up users.
