Users Connect Online with Offline

A large majority (88 percent) of online Americans say the Internet plays a role in their daily routines, and 64 percent of Internet users say their daily routines and activities would be affected if they could no longer use the Internet.

The activities that Internet users primarily engage in offline are playing games, pursuing hobbies, listening to music or the radio, reading for pleasure, and watching videos, previews and cartoons.

While some of these activities are bandwidth-intensive, Deborah Fallows, senior research fellow at Pew Internet Project and the author of the report, says that broadband penetration is not the primary factor in users' preferences for the offline mediums.

"Broadband will make a bit of a difference but there are other things at play. Doing more complex things, like listening to music or movies on the Web, requires more sophistication," said Fallows, referring to user tenure and technological capabilities.

"Listening to music online and watching videos will improve as technology improves but it won't hold a candle to what you can do offline," Fallows explained. "The offline world is too good for some things."