For the first time, the number of internet users with English as
their first language has been outnumbered due to an increase in
language diversity on the internet. The change was announced by the
3rd annual State of the Internet Report produced by the US Internet
Council and the International Technology & Trade Associates
(ITTA).
The State of the Internet Report aims to “review the changing
architecture and demographics of the web and the continued
viability of numerous on-line business ventures.” The report found
that, in 2001, the on-line population crossed the half billion
milestone. Significantly, native English speakers lost their
dominance and now represent approximately 45% of the on-line
population. While North America, Europe, and Japan continue
dominate the on-line world, several other nations such as China,
India, and South Korea began to play larger roles.
The report also found that internet architecture is expanding to
reflect these changes with new multilingual domain names and new
top level domains. However, the study also noted that “national
legal jurisdictions are colliding in cyberspace” and that they are
“wrestling to determine the reach of national legal codes. In some
cases the web is being manipulated or censored, threatening the
notion of a single, unrestricted World Wide Web.”
