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Perhaps the most important segment of the Internet industry is the individual Internet user. It is, afterall, users who pay for access and will eventually purchase goods and services online. Collectively, users weild enormous power over the direction of the future. An Internet user is potentially any human being with access to a networked computer. Currently, estimated to be between 40 and 60 million people, this segment of the industry has the potential to grow to billions in the next few years. The most common way to estimate the number of Internet users is to count the computers (hosts) that are connected. Some hosts service only one user while others service hundreds. Notice the incredible exponential growth in the animation below. These numbers predict a potential for on-line commerce that is staggering and drive companies to invest millions in Web sites that may not pay off for years. Internet users are predominantly male, middle aged, affluent, educated, and live in North American or Europe. It is precisely these demographics that are particularly exciting for businesses. Internet users can be divided into two groups, home users and business users. Home users access the Internet primarily for casual information browsing and entertainment purposes. Business users go on-line primarily to do research for their jobs. The behavior of Internet users, more than any other factor, will determine the future direction of Internet development.

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