Britain being turned off Broadband London, October 28 /PRNewswire/ -- - Rising tide of spam, viruses ruining internet for middle Britain - Research The drive to Broadband Britain is in danger of stalling as ordinary people become confused and angry about the internet's dark side - spam and spyware, porn and pop-ups, viruses and children in chatrooms - reveals a major new report from the iSociety project at The Work Foundation to be launched today at the annual Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) Conference (Tuesday 28th October) The year-long study - Fat Pipes, Connected People, produced in partnership with the BSG - suggests that regular internet users are finding their surfing ruined by these persistent offenders, and spend most of their time trying to cope. Report co-author James Crabtree said: "Broadband is vital for Britain's future, but the industry must put itself in its customers shoes and see how this tide of rubbish is beginning to ruin the experience of going online. Ordinary people are promised that broadband makes the internet better; in fact it sometimes leads to a disaster on the desktop which makes people consider stopping using the net altogether." These problems have become significantly worse during the year in which the research was conducted, argue the authors. The reports urges the telecoms industry to guard against complacency and take immediate steps to improve this situation. Britain remains well behind other broadband countries, and is still 6th out of 7 in the G7 in terms of take-up. There are worrying signs that the recent rise in cable subscriptions have already stalled. Most of the people who really wanted broadband have now got it, meaning the industry must now appeal to a new group of people that the report labels the "everyday user". To do this the report suggests that telecoms companies must stop pouring hundreds of millions of pounds down the drain developing "rich media content" which doesn't excite their customers, who instead enjoy creating their own content through exploration, play and communication with friends and family. Most users are also forced to rely on friends and family to overcome the dark side of the net in their search for security, safety, and ease of use online. What internet users need more than anything is support. This is what the industry fails to provide. They need support when things go wrong (as they all-too-frequently do). And they need support to get the best out of the net. And telecoms companies need to find ways to support their uses make the most out of the internet. Report co-Author Simon Roberts said: "Consumers are crying out for support, and all they get is hours on hold with the 'help' desk. Telecom's companies must get better at helping people install broadband, and also find ways to help them explore and enjoy its possibilities." The report argues that the Broadband industry's difficulties stem from three big misunderstandings about what its users actually like about the internet: 1. Broadband isn't just about Speed. The research found that broadband is being badly sold. The core-marketing message - broadband is ten times faster - is not how people experience it. Instead time on broadband is different, it is about taking it easy. Equally, broadband is not always on, because most people turn off their computers when they aren't using them. 2. Broadband isn't just about content. Telecoms companies like to think that the future of broadband is about consuming "rich media content". We found no evidence that this is true. Instead, people like Broadband because it allows you to communicate with other people, creating and sharing content while you do so. 3. Broadband isn't just about Adoption. The telecoms industry is obsessed with adoption. In fact this is a bad way of understanding the market. We propose two new ways of thinking about this: adaptation - or how people find cool things to do; and absorption - or how people understand and enjoy the internet in their day-to-day lives. Notes to Editors 1. The Work Foundation's iSociety project is an independent investigation of the impact of Information and Communication Technology in the UK. Run within the Work Foundation's research department, and with generous support from Microsoft and PricewaterhouseCoopers, iSociety continues to identify 'deep impact' changes brought about by the widespread diffusion of the ICT into our lives. 2. This research was co-funded by the Broadband Stakeholder Group. The findings, however, are not the official view or policy of the BSG. 3. The research for this report, conducted between August 2002 and October 2003, involved 12 Ethnographic encounters in which trained anthropologists spent a week with ordinary families and small businesses that used Broadband internet. 4. The Broadband Stakeholder Group annual conference is being held on 28th and 29th October at the Lancaster Hotel London, attended by over 350 representatives from industry and Government. 5. Recent Research from the Pew Internet project suggests that 25 percent say spam has made them cut back on e-mail, 70 percent say spam makes being online "annoying.", and 55 percent of home e-mail users say spam prevents them from reading their legitimate e-mail. 6. The authors - James Crabtree and Simon Roberts - are available for interview. DATASOURCE: The Work Foundation - iSociety Further press enquiries, contact Adam Wurf at The Work Foundation Tel: +44 (0) 20 7004 7224/7225 or +44 (0) 7812 450 398 or James Crabtree Tel +44 (0) 7932 690 746 The BSG is also available for comment. Call Alex Quinn on +44 (0) 20 7395 6731

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