Cole's vision was to create a baseline measurement of the impact of the Internet on the world, then follow up on an annual basis to weigh the changes it makes on society. He hopes that the yearly report will serve as a guide to government policy makers, corporate planners and the general public, and will help them understand the Internet as it grows, not merely after it matures. The UCLA Internet Report surveyed 2,096 households across the United States, and compared Internet users with non-users. The report covered a vast array of topics, including the most popular online activities, privacy concerns, online friends, children and the Internet, the monitoring of Web usage at work, and online shopping. According to Cole, the overall feeling among respondents was that the Internet as a whole is a good thing, but it also has a dark side.
People have a positive view of the technology.
However, there is an extraordinary fear of a loss of privacy or credit card information online. Historically, people have feared a loss of privacy to the government. Now, that fear has been transferred to corporations. One finding of the report that Cole found particularly compelling was the number of people who believed they are being monitored at work. Asked how they use the Internet at their jobs, the vast majority indicated that they used it for work-related purposes.