Participation in chat rooms was the only activity which showed a notable decrease in frequency of use in the latest World Internet Project report. A decrease from 17 per cent in 2007 to 14 per cent 2009 was reported. This was driven almost entirely by a drop in the 20-29age group.
"What might be happening here is the flight of younger people out of a particular internet form once more older people start to join in - basically young people don't want to use it once older people start using these things," AUT University's Institute of Culture, Discourse and Communication (ICDC) director, Allan Bell says.
"We think young people may be moving out of chat rooms and focusing more on mediums like Twitter and Facebook."
The World Internet Project's second bi-annual survey of more than 1200 New Zealanders shows the internet is increasingly moving into open, communal spaces in the house. The percentage of people who use the internet mainly in living areas (including lounge, kitchen, dining room) rose from 33 per cent in 2007 to 45 per cent in 2009.
The report which compares data collected in 2007 and the most recent data collected in late 2009 investigates New Zealanders' usage of and attitudes towards the internet.
The increasing shift of Internet use out of the back rooms and into the household living space makes for a whole new dynamic surrounding the net, Bell says.
"It puts the Internet right at hand, so people can check a fact or book an event on their laptops without stirring."
The report also showed a difference in the way we're using the internet. In 2009 more people rated the internet as an important source of information than in 2007. However fewer people rated the internet as an important source of entertainment.
"We're intrigued and frankly surprised with the downwards shift in people's rating of the Internet for entertainment, but the increase in its information importance is no surprise," Bell says.
