Internet usage in Russia
Along
with many other factors, Internet usage statistics are usually seen as an
indicator of the economic development of a country. In that sense,
globalization highly affects the borderless cyberspace bringing intelligence
and facilitating operations of users worldwide. On the other hand, Internet
delivers all sorts of information, some of which may not necessarily be
beneficial to the development of an individual, and of a country as a whole. I
found it interesting to look
at the recent statistics and trends of internet
usage in Russia.
Internet Usage Statistics in Russia:
29,400,000 Internet
users as of June/07, 20.8% penetration, according to POF.
For
comparison:
Total internet users
in Europe and in the World: [Internet World Stats, October 2007]
- Europe: 321,853,477
- World: 1,173,109,925
Total internet users by country and share of world users: [Source: Internet World Stats, October 2007]
§ US: 210,575,287 (18% share) [Nielsen//NetRatings, July, 2007]
§ China: 162,000,000 (13.8%) [CINIC, June, 2007]
§ Japan: 87,540,000 (7.4%) [eTForecasts, August, 2007]
§ Germany: 50,426,117 (4.3%) [Nielsen//NetRatings, August, 2007]
§ India: 42,000,000 (3.6%) [IWS, August, 2007]
§ UK: 38,512,837 (3.5%) [Nielsen//NetRatings, August, 2007]
This means, that Russia’s share comes up to about 2.5% of world users. Even though this does not seem like an impressive number, what is important is the rate of the user interface growth. The US remains the largest market for internet use with 153.4 million users, but that number is only up 2% over the last year. In contrast, BRIC countries are competing to out-pace each other in growth. Particularly in Russia, internet use rose 21% [to 12.7 million] over the last year. Importantly, it is not only the households that are getting connected to the global web, but also schools, colleges, health care institution, small firms and other public and private organizations across the country. What this also means, is that the gap between the sophisticated lifestyle of large Russian cities and small provincial towns is slowly being narrowed.
However, there are several political issues that may hinder the pace of the usage growth. More specifically, authorities are trying to tighten regulation of the Internet, arguably the country's most vibrant venue for political discussion. According to rights activists, prosecutors have closed down several regional Internet sites critical of the authorities, saying they did not have the proper registration.
Nonetheless, Russia’s new president Dmitry Medvedev has a different view on the development of the Russian cyberspace. Speaking at the opening of the 12th annual Russian Internet Forum, held in the suburban area outside of Moscow, Medvedev addressed what he called "the delicate question of the relationship between freedom of speech and responsibility" online. He admitted to be an avid consumer of Internet news and reassured the web users that authorities would take a measured approach to policing the Internet. In his speech he acknowledged the importance of blogs and opinion sites and dismantled the rumors of the about a crackdown on free speech in cyberspace. Frankly, I don’t even understand how that would be possible)
In addition, when he still was the first deputy prime minister, Medvedev oversaw a program to put every Russian school online. He also claimed to promote Internet use as part of a program “to develop a knowledge-based economy and reduce Russia's dependence on oil and gas exports.” Although this is a very bold statement, let’s give Medvedev credit for his attempt to build an image of the non-totalitarian president.
Comments
I love that guy, Medvedev, for the win, hehe
So Russia is becoming more and more powerful. The information age is finally making its presence in the land of snow and vodka. Where does it go from here? Is Russia going to piss off the United States again? Hopefully not. I can't actually tell who got pissed at one another, you know, causation cannot prove correlation, blah blah.
So do you like to use the internet? Do you account for the GNP of internet use in Russia. I mean, technically you are a Russian living in United States. The internet is a global method of transferring information and therefore, you should be considered a Russian internet usage. Broadband is revolutionizing the global economy. We can now
You are too intelligent for me. I cannot understand anything you said. I heard about Russian penetration. That sounds pretty sexy. Just like your cute deer face. I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you. You know I love your Russianness.
So Russia is becoming more and more powerful. The information age is finally making its presence in the land of snow and vodka. Where does it go from here? Is Russia going to piss off the United States again? Hopefully not. I can't actually tell who got pissed at one another, you know, causation cannot prove correlation, blah blah.
So do you like to use the internet? Do you account for the GNP of internet use in Russia. I mean, technically you are a Russian living in United States. The internet is a global method of transferring information and therefore, you should be considered a Russian internet usage. Broadband is revolutionizing the global economy. We can now be in love over the internet! How cool is that. I think it is pretty neat.
I would never meet someone over the internet, but I would use the internet to explore the Russian culture. I hope you are a good representation of the mother land. If most of them are like you, I will definitely visit. A land full of happiness, joy, free will, domination, experience, liberty, life, prosperity, capriciousness, and forgetfulness.
I can't believe you lose all your stuff. You need to be attached to your personal items. That way you want lose anything. I just hope your head doesn't detach from your body. It would be inconvenient for you and the person who has to clean up after your decapitated torso. I wonder if you could cut off your head and still be able to read and see with your eyes. Like imagine your head being able to roll around the world and perceive reality from the perspective of a severed and depressed ball of hair and flesh.
I like bubble gum.