30% of Internet users go online without any specific reasons

Some 30% of internet users go online on any given day for no particular reason, just for fun or to pass the time, according to Pew Internet & American Life Project. Compared to other online pursuits, the act of surfing for fun now stands only behind sending or receiving email (52% of internet users do this on a typical day) and using a search engine (38% of internet users do this on a typical day), and is in a virtual tie for third with the act of getting news online (31% of internet users do this on a typical day). In aggregate figures, this development is striking because it represents a significant increase from the number of people who went online just to browse for fun on a typical day at the end of 2004. In a survey in late November 2004, about 25 mln people went online on any given day just to browse for fun. In December 2005, that number had risen to about 40 mln people.