With my VP recently forwarding the Pew Generations Online 2009 memo, I was asked what my takeaways were. The only two items I could come up with were:
1. Gen Y and Gen X (18-44) generally use the internet the most as a daily part of their lives.
2. This is and will continue to expand to both ends of the age spectrum.
It reminded me of the research I did outlining if using the internet was applicable to low-income or first generation college students. The answer to that question was ‘yes. of course.’
What these two items say to me are that people are still wondering about the use of the internet. Is it worth it? Does it reach everyone? Can I use that instead of print?
The point is most people DO use the internet. It IS worth your time to invest in doing this right, not just doing it flashy. Learn about how your target audience uses the web. Are they social? Do they use it primarily for news and research? Do they make purchases?
Remember, not all research includes everyone. There will always be your pocket of ‘millenials’ who arent familiar with Twitter and who dont have Facebook profiles. But, there will also be those grandma’s and grandpa’s who regularly video chat with their grandkids. Its all relative.
Its no surprise research tells us that people are on the ‘net. What is more surprising, is that this question is still asked.
What are your thoughts? What research do you find most useful?
jesskrywosa.com 
And in previous years, companies wondered: “Will everyone use this radio thing?” Then they pondered: “Will everyone purchase a tele-vision?” The power of inertia, of not wanting to change and adapt is strong. But then so is evolution. Ask the dodos. Oh wait — we can’t.
I find research that confounds our expectations more useful than that which reinforces it. Ask Timon of Athens. If he’d listened to the people who said his friends were moochers instead of the flattering of the sycophants, he would have had much more than bitterness left to his name.
Good round, as usual. I’m also totally down with your conclusion. Maybe the Pew Center can retire the question once and for all, eh?