A recent study conducted by the Internet and Mobile Association of India, has ranked Bengaluru sixth in terms of Internet users, way behind Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad. While Mumbai boasts of 8.1 million people who claim to use the Net regularly, only 6.5 million are active users. But in Bengaluru, of the 2.2 million claimers, there are only 1.7 million active users.
“It’s surprising. While I do have many friends who spend time on social networking sites, I also know several others who prefer chatting with friends at coffee shops,” says Salim P, a student. He adds, “And you’d rarely find people sitting with a laptop at cafes. People love to talk here. Ours is a laidback city, and we like to enjoy our time — without the company of ‘technology.’”
Liny Ashok, a media professional, spends most of her time online, “I am always online. If there are a percentage of people who’re not online — then they’re stuck in a traffic jam,” she says adding, “This is a tech city, but most IT professionals can’t access Facebook, while at work. So, maybe now we know why we rank sixth.”
Most youngsters are not convinced by the findings. “Being from the IT industry, I know that majority of IT professionals spend a lot of time online. We always need to be ‘visible’ to know what is happening,” says software engineer, Sidharth Manoharan. IT analyst Santosh S. says, “In my family itself, three of four spend time on the Internet.”