The myth about the Internet is that it is dominated by young, white, males who are technical, asocial, and alienated, leaning towards libertarianism in their political views. Nothing could be further from the truth. Half of all Web users are over the age of 35. Online users are as connected and concerned for their social relationships as their offline peers, telephoning friends and relatives as frequently as the population as a whole. A significant and growing segment of the Net population is older home-owners with children who are attracted by the opportunity for affiliation and community.
Online users are also more active politically than the general population.
They were significantly more likely to vote in the 1994 election, particularly in the 18-29 age group. In summary, contrary to the myth of online homogeneity, the online population has already achieved parity with the political demographics of the nation as a whole. The one critical difference is that online users are more likely to vote. One approach is to reach Net users directly with campaign information. A third approach is to use the Net for fund-raising.