Decreasing numbers, increasing problems: Non-users have more barriers to Internet adoption to overco

Over the past 20 years, the proportion of Internet users has continuously increased. According to the latest Pew Research Center data, 84 percent of US citizens were online in 2015. Only 16 percent of the respondents identified themselves as non-users, i.e. people who do not use the Internet. This stands in stark contrast to the numbers of non-users only 10 years ago (around 30 percent in 2006) and 20 years ago (77 percent in 1996). This trend leads many people to assume that non-users are a phenomenon of the past and that soon everyone will be online in some way or another. However, looking at the shrinking group of non-users more closely, it becomes apparent quickly that those who have not made the move online are facing increasing problems and barriers to overcome.