New Media Trends

The other day Politiken told us that one third of all Danes are computer illiterates that cannot attach a document to an email or fulfill the buying process at a website selling stuff of one kind or another.

At the very same time the FDIM/Gemius Audience study told us in may that nearly 4 million Danes (out of a total population of 5,4 millions) had surfed the web in the preceding month. And they told us almost exactly the same in June. In July. And in August. And they’ll probably tell us the same for September, October and so on…

This puzzled me! One third of all Danes are computer-illiterates - and at the same time 4/5 surfing the web?

But then I had this experience in Berlin just last week. I asked the guy sitting at the desk in my hotel to find me a map of the “Französicher Gymnasium” (seeking the traces of my great-grandfather, Kurt Levinstein). He pulled up this webpage with maps of Berlin, that he seemed accustomed to use. But the site only allowed him to search for maps if he knew parts of the address. Not the name of the place (which was what I had). So he gave up: “sorry, can’t help you if you don’t know the zip code or street name”, he said.

“Can I try?” I asked, and then I typed in the name in a Google search box located just in the top of his browser. The man had installed a Google toolbar, but apparently didn’t think of using it in this context. The site of the “Französicher Gymnasium” came up as link number one.

Another incidence came to my mind: A woman called my office two weeks ago: “Why have you registered my name at Google she asked?” Well we hadn’t. But the Google search she performed turned out to be a Google desktop search, and she actually searched her own inbox.

So thinking about it, I really think they exist, the surfing computer illiterates. People who use their computers – but use them in a very restricted way, without really understanding how to navigate the tons of information stored out there.

Two lessons to be drawn from this: First, when you design websites, remember to focus on the core functionality. There’s a reason for the success of the naked Google search-page.

The second lesson: Revenue from e-business and advertising will continue to grow. For the sole reason that as the illiterates grows smarter, usage volume and usage sophistication will grow. Even in a country where you - with broadband all over and almost the entire population on the net – otherwise could be misled to expect things soon to start slow down.

PS. I did manage to find the “Französicher Gymnasium”. It turned out, they had a complete little museum-like exhibition of my great-grandfathers (who as headmaster rebuild the school after the war) office and library!