The global network has now won global exposure. A study carried out by the International Research Institute, a global alliance of independent market research firms, found that in most industrialized nations, more than three quarters of the population have now heard of the internet and know what its uses are. The survey, which canvassed the opinions of 670 adults in 22 countries, found the highest level of internet awareness in Sweden and the US, where more than 19 out of 20 people claim to know about the internet. The lowest levels of awareness of the countries surveyed were in Peru and Turkey, where less than one in five had heard of the net. The International Research Institute study also found that, not only have more people heard of the internet, a significantly larger proportion of people can now access it. In most of the countries surveyed, more than a third of all PCs are equipped with modems, while in the US that figure rises to over 70%. But despite the growing awareness of the internet, home internet/TV devices will fail to make a significant impact on the market until the year 2000, says market analyst Forrester Research. The company claims that it will take three years for the industry to create hardware and content that can deliver what consumers really want – interactivity that enhances their television experience, severely limiting the opportunities for devices such as those developed by WebTV (recently bought by Microsoft). By 2002, however, Forrester predicts that the widespread availability of televisions delivering relevant interactive experience will drive 14.7 million households to connect their TVs to the internet. Meanwhile, the market for products and services that enable internet commerce will soar to over $100 million by the year 2000, according to Zona Research. That is three times the $34.97bn spent on internet commerce infrastructure in 1996.
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