You are here: silicon.com > Networks > WebWatch

WebWatch

Terrorism and inactive kids top net fears

AOL identifies our hopes and fears

Tags: aol uk, aol

By Tony Hallett

Published: 26 January 2006 13:05 GMT

Terrorism, couch potato children and online porn top a list of important internet-related issues.

A poll of more than a thousand Britons from AOL UK asked 'How important an issue for society, if at all, are the following?', with a score given from 1 to 100 (100 being the highest ranking possible).

The full top 10 reads:

1. Internet being used by terrorist networks to facilitate their activities (79)
2. Internet taking children away from active pastimes (75)
3. The boom in online pornography (72)
4= Internet helping charities raise funds faster (69)
4= Internet giving greater freedom of speech for countries with state censorship (69)
6. Some countries trying to curb freedom of speech through the internet (66)
7. Internet helping ordinary citizens to express opposition to government and business in ways that were not possible before (62)
8. Unequal access to the internet growing the divide between developed and undeveloped nations (60)
9. People becoming addicted to the internet (61)
10. Piracy of copyrighted materials (59)

The online giant commissioned Ipsos MORI to conduct 1,032 one-to-one interviews last December. The study is part of a wider marketing campaign that AOL is currently running entitled 'aol/discuss'.

One ad features archive footage of a student protester in Tiananmen Square in Beijing and coincides with news that AOL competitor Google - like other portals MSN and Yahoo! - is entering the Chinese market.

The survey also asked participants to look forward; questions on how they would like the internet to develop showed "a telling and altruistic vision of what the British public want", according to an AOL statement.

The top two wishes were:

1. The internet will increasingly become a public library accessible to everyone (54)
2. The internet will make it possible to share knowledge with the developing world and raise standards of health across the world (42).

AOL was a major media partner of the Live 8 concerts and campaign last year.

Timothy Ryan, AOL UK director of brand marketing, said in a statement: "We have seen massive focus on price and speed in this market but not on some of the serious issues raised by the internet."

  1. Zones
  2. Management
  3. Networks
  4. Software
  5. IT Services
  6. Hardware
  1. Verticals
  2. Public Sector
  3. Financial Services
  4. Retail & Leisure
Read and write about internet access at the airports of the world at atlarge.com. Rate airports, and see what others have to say...

Peter Cochrane Peter Cochrane's Blog: How the telcos could save themselves Doomed network operators could thrive with a bit of innovation

Peter Cochrane Peter Cochrane's Blog: Facebook saves teen from prison Another unexpected impact of social networking


  • Jobs
Specialist - Tooling, Manufacturing and Automation

You enjoy a large degree of freedom and independence within projects & assignments; you function as team player and value open feedback. ...

Senior Product Manager - Charities - JustGiving.com

operations to household names such as Cancer Research UK and Save the Children. Nearly a third of the money raised has been from people who say they ...

Business Analyst , Project Manager- Bespoke Software Company

They boast a fantastic modern open plan, light filled work area with break out facilities consisting of fully fitted kitchen, library and showers ...

Agenda Setters 2009
Welcome to the ninth annual Agenda Setters poll – silicon.com's list of the top 50 most influential individuals in the technology and IT industries, from techies and CIOs to entrepreneurs and business leaders. Find out more in our latest special report.





Quick Sitemap Links: