Norton’s 2009 Online Family report

Symantec have today released their 2009 report into life online (you know, that thing we do between interruptions).

Nearly seven in 10 online adults say that the Internet has improved their relationships. 

And it’s no wonder: those who have friends online have an average of approximately 41 online friends, 49 percent have a social networking page, and 24 percent sometimes share secrets online.  In fact, the Internet has become such a central vehicle for communication and connection that about six in 10 online adults say they could not live without it (I’m one of them!)

Indeed, 92% of Australians believe that the benefits of the Internet outweigh the risks.

Key findings of this highly-readable and well-designed report include:

• Can technology buy you love?  7 out of 10 adults across the world say the internet has improved their relationships (but not in Australia, where nearly 60% say it has not improved it – Mrs BetterComms would agree with that)
• Do you know where your kids are online? 6 out of 10 parents feel that kids spend too much time online and they only know the half of it – online is the new hangout for kids! In Australia, for example, over half the parents think their kids spend between 1-25 hours per week month online, where the reality is a staggering 49 hours per week month – and Aussie kids believe that they don’t spend enough time online!
• So you think you are secure? 99% of adults globally think they are secure online, yet 14% of adults in Australia have been hacked and 1 in 3 have lost valuable data

Aligned with that are some equally interesting stats, such as half of online adults use webcams and social media, and nearly a quarter of the online population use Twitter or similar micro-blogging platforms. With Twitter’s online growth averaging 33% month-on-month I don’t think it will be long before that figure reaches 50%…

Great quote: “My fiancé and I lived in the same neighbourhood for 10 years but never crossed paths until we ‘met’ online. It took an online dating site to bring us together.” – Female, 28, United Kingdom

The kids are alright

In what can only be described as a welcome snub to Senator Conroy’s nonsense about the Australian Federal Government needing to be the Nanny for our children’s online behaviour, the report highlights that parents themselves are very willing to accept responsibility for monitoring their children’s online activities, and enforcing family rules where necessary.

• 7 in 10 kids have rules for using the Internet; and parents and kids concur that they are following the rules 80% of the time
• 70% of parents are now talking to their kids about online safety (up 20% from last year)
• 90% of parents worldwide see that it’s their responsibility to keep their kids safe online

“While technology may buy you love, only you can keep yourself and your family safe online,” said Janice Chaffin, group president of Symantec’s  Consumer Business Unit.  “The Internet has become a regular part of our daily lives and has created unprecedented opportunities to connect — from ‘Webcaming’ with grandma, to texting with classmates, to rekindling old flames.  These survey results are an especially important reminder for parents to know where their kids are — whether online or offline.”

In a seeming disparity with the recent Nielsen-Online report [pdf, opens in new browser window] which showed that the internet has replaced tv as the most-consumed medium (and perhaps reflective of demographic differences between the two surveys and therefore not necessarily a contradiction), Norton found that the trusty old telly is still the number one ‘habit’ of teenagers (my own stepkids would probably rather watch me die than give up their Home and Away, Packed to the Rafters, etc.)

Data backup

More worrying is the number of adults who still do not back up data

Yes, I’m as guilty as any of you on this, and yes, I have many tears to attest to it. I know back up constantly to two different sources. See my friend Sallie Goetsch for more info on backing up data.

Anti-virus and net safety

Globally, two out of ten netizens still don’t have security software installed and of those that do, two out of ten don’t run virus scans frequently.

My stepkids are as guilty as my wife on this – no matter how many times I plead with them, they never bother even ‘auto-updating’ as it slows them down from doing what they came to the computer to do. Arghh!!!

Since I installed Norton Internet Security 2009 over two months ago I have been stunned by how quickly it keeps everything tip top – I cannot recommend the software highly enough.

Yes, I am VERY aware how bloated and resource-hogging Norton anti-virus software used to be. I was given a review copy of NIS09 by Norton, which comes with a one-user-only licence (the retail product gives you a three-user licence). It runs so quietly in the background of my not-so-fast-these-days desktop that I truly don’t know it’s there. I’m so impressed I’m going to buy the full retail version so that I can protect my notebook and my wife and Princess Buttercup’s lap
tops.

Yes, spend my own money – I can’t give higher praise than that!

There has also been the occasional meme running around that virii are actually concocted by security companies to keep them in business – I cannot comment on that, except to say it’s highly unlikely to be true. The blogosphere is far too good at ‘naming and shaming’ disreputable business practice these days.

So if you think that anti-virus software is a bit of a waste of time, consider this:

• 711,912 new threats in 2007 compared to 125,243 in 2006
• Web users can increasingly be infected simply by visiting everyday sites
• Identities (including yours) are being sold online these days – it’s big business and it pays to protect yours.

Regional/country differences

The report also breaks down some of the differences between regions/countries. Here’s the key findings for Australia:

• Among all the countries surveyed, Australia’s online parents are most likely to agree, "I always know what my children are looking at online (86%); however, only two-thirds (65%) of Australian kids agree with the statement, "my parents know what I am looking at when I am online." This is the largest gap in all countries.
• Confidence in the knowledge of what their child does online is highest in Australia (86%)
• Australian adults are most likely to believe that children spend too much time online (65% agreement compared to the UK, France, Japan, India)
• Along with India, adults in Australia are most likely to agree that the Internet has eased the learning process (89% India, 86% Australia)
• Though 90% of Australian youth agree that the Internet has made learning much easier for children today, 63% feel that email, instant messaging, text messaging and posting on social networking web sites or blogs make it harder for children today to learn to write well
• Online Australian adults are most likely to report the Internet is slow (34%) and one in three (72%) feel this slowness has to do with their Internet
  connection [what? that figure makes no sense – I am waiting on clarification from David Freer, Symantec’s VP Consumer, Asia Pacific and Japan on this statistic]  of those who reported that the internet was slow, 72% feel that this slowness has to do with their Internet connection
• Australians rank their cars at the top of their list of things that they can’t live without (50%), followed by Internet access (46%) and TV (45%)
• Australia ranked third in the list of countries in which online adults are most unaware of services like Twitter, which allow short but frequent contact between individuals (Sweden [30%], the U.K. [27%], Australia [25%])

Survey methodology

The survey was conducted online in 12 countries (United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, China, Japan, India, Australia, and Brazil). Of those who took part, there were 6,427 adults 18 years old and older (including 1,297 parents of children ages 8-17) and 2,614
children aged 8-17 who spend one or more hours online each month.

All of which means it’s fairly representative of online behaviour.

David Freer of Symantec

Interview with David Freer, Symantec VP Consumer, Asia Pacific & Japan

I interviewed David about the report (but before I noticed the statistical anomaly noted above); here’s what he said.

At Symantec, our vision is that people should be able to work and play freely in a connected world. We have commissioned the global Norton Online Living Report for the second year to monitor and provide insight into how people are living with technology. Specifically we examine the rapidly changing technology landscape, the Internet and its use and the social impact on individuals and families lives in order to continue to deliver on that vision.

This year, in addition to examining trends around how we live with technology, we undertook segmentation analysis of the online population. We captured how families use communication technologies such as email, instant messaging and social networking sites, differently and how their use may impact their relationships with each other. Adult interest and knowledge of the Internet and online communication tools, as well as their satisfaction with their family relationships, were measured.

We also found a unique segment we call the E-family with tight connections in both technology and relationship. This segment was prominent in emerging countries like China, India and Brazil roughly in 25 percent of the population versus 14 percent globally and 11 percent locally in Australia.

These families usually consist of a strong family connection, and the use of available tools on the Internet such as instant messaging, social networking and other mediums to stay in touch.

It was positive to see that 23 percent of Australian children are ‘friending’ their parents online (on social networking sites or IM for example) and 22 percent of kids are connecting with their grandparents online, which is above the global figure of 10 percent.

Consumers in our survey also described scenarios where friends and families are either spread throughout the country and the Internet has allowed more regular contact with loved ones or it’s allowed them to reconnect with old friends or flames!

But the bottom line is almost all of our 9000 adults and youth in 12 countries agreed the benefits of the Internet outweigh the risks!

Regardless of the type of connection be it IM, text or twitter; who you are connecting with from co-workers, parents and kids to friends; from secrets to touchy subjects the internet has redefined how we connect and maintain our relationships. The E-family is a beacon of tight connections from tech to relationships.

Kids are as active as ever making friends, using technologies to develop relationships but both parents and kids agree they are spending too much time online and potentially wasting time. There are positive signs between parents and kids online with more interaction, discussion about rules and “friending” of each other going on. Supervision and parental controls continue to be hard.

And a security paradox remains that solved can help many work and play a little more freely online.

If you are interested in reading Norton’s rather good report you can head to www.nortononlineliving.com.