She points out that 10 years ago, millions of people would never have dreamed of buying a mobile phone. Yet figures last week show, for the first time, those without a mobile are now in the minority. Some people originally thought a mobile very anti-social. As with mobiles, the falling cost of getting online is likely to make a big difference. The TV is controllable.
Personal computers are complicated, but television is a medium many people understand.
The fact that digital TV offers only selected internet content, will also reassure parents. Many adults are worried about what their children might find on the net and know they will be able to control it better on a TV, which is a walled garden for the internet. Many pensioners say the internet is not for them. They do not travel a lot and have a relatively straight-forward lifestyle, so their need for information is not as acute. Online, agrees that eventually digital networks will absorb users rather than vice versa, but he is surprised at some peoples' ongoing hostility to the internet.