The perils of being a "non-user"

According to the 2011 Digital Future Project, 18% of Americans are currently not using the Internet. They are "non-users."


The U.S. has approximately 300,000,000 people in it (rough estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau). So that equates to 54,000,000 people who aren't online.


And oddly enough - in my opinion - cost isn't as huge a factor as one might think in relation to the percent of non-users. 25% of non-users (13,500,000 people) cited "no interest" or the Internet being "not useful" as their reasons for staying offline. 7% (3,780,000) cited expense.


So what's going to happen to these non-users as we begin to rely more and more on the Internet to stay in touch with the people in our lives? How will we communicate with these people without email, instant messaging, social networking, etc.? It seems a bit absurd to think that communication with them could cease, but think about it - how often do you visit or call a friend or relative who lives far away? How often do you Skype them, check their status on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, or email them? If for some reason, some of the important people in your life suddenly became "non-users," how do you think that would affect your communication with them?