Sober selection
Samuel Helbling on MA Comis 2003 and the Internet's Second Spring
Samuel Helbling on MA Comis 2003 and the second spring of the InternetThe digital revolution may have failed to materialize. But after a steep upswing and an equally steep downswing, the Internet industry has now returned to a stable growth path. As a basic technology, the network of networks has become indispensable. And with a few years' delay, some of the promises of the wild early days have even come true. The Internet has established itself as a mass medium alongside TV, radio and the press. Around 600 million
people use it worldwide. When the MA Comis online study was first conducted in 1999, only one in three German-speaking Swiss people surfed the Internet. Today, the figure is around twice as high. And the trend is still rising (see page 20).
The Internet is in a phase of consolidation. Gradually, it is becoming clear what is here to stay. While the web was used primarily for information, communication and entertainment in the initial phase, transactions are now playing an increasingly important role as the fourth component. Over the last five years, the proportion of German-speaking Swiss web users who have made purchases via the Internet has risen steadily from 43% to 68%. Compared to the previous year, this corresponds to an increase of 34,000
People. In the travel industry, the auction business and the book, ticket and music trade, the internet has long since become indispensable. However, these success stories are offset by many promises that could not be kept. Insurance and new cars have so far proved unsuitable for sale via the Internet. Food, online
Broking and telephoning have a miserable existence. And the Internet is also a poor advertising medium.
still at the beginning.
The euphoria about the network economy has now given way to sober calculation in a mature industry. This open-ended
However, the process does not have to be Darwinian. After all, it is people who ultimately decide how they want to use the Internet: as future consumers who spend money on it. It is not nature that decides who survives, but the customer.
> Samuel Helbling, Editor-in-Chief
people use it worldwide. When the MA Comis online study was first conducted in 1999, only one in three German-speaking Swiss people surfed the Internet. Today, the figure is around twice as high. And the trend is still rising (see page 20).
The Internet is in a phase of consolidation. Gradually, it is becoming clear what is here to stay. While the web was used primarily for information, communication and entertainment in the initial phase, transactions are now playing an increasingly important role as the fourth component. Over the last five years, the proportion of German-speaking Swiss web users who have made purchases via the Internet has risen steadily from 43% to 68%. Compared to the previous year, this corresponds to an increase of 34,000
People. In the travel industry, the auction business and the book, ticket and music trade, the internet has long since become indispensable. However, these success stories are offset by many promises that could not be kept. Insurance and new cars have so far proved unsuitable for sale via the Internet. Food, online
Broking and telephoning have a miserable existence. And the Internet is also a poor advertising medium.
still at the beginning.
The euphoria about the network economy has now given way to sober calculation in a mature industry. This open-ended
However, the process does not have to be Darwinian. After all, it is people who ultimately decide how they want to use the Internet: as future consumers who spend money on it. It is not nature that decides who survives, but the customer.
> Samuel Helbling, Editor-in-Chief
