1. 3/9/2016 Executives Don't Often Use the Internet
https://partners.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/052497exec.html 1/2
It takes time to
find things over the
Internet, and
managers don't
want to take time
Joel Tomaneng,
Zona Research Inc.
May 24, 1997
Executives Don't Often Use the Internet
By MAGGIE JACKSON
The Associated Press
hose at the top aren't often on the Net.
More than half of executives and managers use the Internet just a few hours a
week, typically as a way to keep tabs on the office from home, according to a
survey released on Thursday.
They aren't logging on more often because they consider the Internet too slow,
too little known by the business world and not secure enough, said the survey of
3,466 executives and managers by the American Management Association.
In contrast, Internet users in general log on an
average of 10.5 hours a week for business
purposes, according to a separate recent
survey.
The rare executive who is a heavy Internet user
­­ logging on more than 10 hours weekly ­­ is
typically under 35 and female, working in
communications, public relations or a
computer­related field, the AMA survey said.
"Executives tend to view the Internet as a
library of contemporary information," said Joel
Tomaneng, an analyst with Zona Research
Inc., which studies the Internet. "They don't
have the need" for much of the Internet
because they have others who can do research for them.
In addition, as an information tool, the Internet is not well­organized, he noted.
"It takes time to find things over the Internet, and managers don't want to take
time," he said when told of the survey results.
Thirty­four percent of executives don't use the Internet at all at the office, and 39
percent don't use it at home, according to the AMA, a nonprofit management
training organization. More than half ­­ 53 percent ­­ log on for no more than
four hours a week at the office.

2. 3/9/2016 Executives Don't Often Use the Internet
https://partners.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/052497exec.html 2/2
When they do, they use the Internet most often for e­mail purposes and
information retrieval, and less often for direct sales, buying products or
customer support.
When asked why they weren't using the Internet more, the executives most often
cited its slowness, the lack of education and training in its use by others, and
security issues.
The typical executive who is a light Internet user is a man who logs onto the
Internet no more than four hours a week from home and two hours a week at the
office, the survey said.
The heavy Internet user ­­ 2.3 percent of respondents ­­ logs on 16 hours a week
at the office and seven hours a week from home for business purposes. Such
users are typically women under­35, working in fields such as communications
and public relations that are often heavily staffed by women.
In a separate survey of Internet users, researchers found that 60 percent of users
tap into the Internet for business purposes, and do so an average of 10.5 hours a
week, according to the Emerging Technologies Research Group. The survey of
1,000 Internet users was released this month.
The AMA survey was conducted with Tierney and Partners, an advertising and
public relations agency whose work involves helping businesses get on the
Internet.
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