More than 50 per cent of internet users between 18-35 years of age

More than 50 per cent of internet users in urban India belong to the age group 18-25 years, reveals I-Cube 2008, the latest joint annual survey of internet users conducted by IMRB International and Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).

This group comprised two categories - college going students and young men.

While these two categories together have registered a growth of three per cent over last year, all other categories seem to have declined marginally over the last year; the users in the 'school going kids' category declined by 2 per cent; as did the usersd under the category of 'older men' by 1, while working women remained the same as did non-working women.

The primary reasons for the increase in the youth category are two-fold according to the survey Internet content and application are primarily geared to the youth, especially the sticky applications like user generated contents like social networking, gaming and online entertainment
A rise in internet search for academic purposes. The demographic change over the years is captured in the following illustration:

Commenting on the study Mohan Krishnan, senior vice president BIRD, the specialised unit of IMRB International says the pattern of internet usage is in transition among the younger generation (between 18 to 35 years).

"Youths are increasingly adopting internet not as a technology but as another medium to indulge in their important wide-ranging daily activities - listening to music, making friends, promoting themselves and conducting business or exercising their occupation.

"Specifically, online gaming is emerging as a major growth area attracting investments by content developers and distributors.