By the Stats: How Quickly Have Consumers Adopted Media Technology?

The Internet penetrated consumers’ inner sanctum faster than any medium since the black-and-white television; both reached 50 percent of U.S. households within eight years of being readily accessible, says DoubleClick, citing the 2001 U.S. Census in its paper, “The Decade in Online Advertising, 1994-2004,” released last Wednesday. And just how does that compare to other media used to reach consumers? Other data revealed by the U.S. Census:

¥ Nine years for 50 percent of homes to gain radios
¥ 17 years for personal computers
¥ 39 years for cable television
¥ 70 years for the telephone