PARADOX No. 6
Close to 90% of material on the Internet is in English. However, if the world population is considered as the potential Internet audience, there is less than 10% of people for who speak English as their mother tongue. Even when English is considered as the second language, Mandarin is most prevailing.
According to one survey, only 1% of the Internet pages could easily be read by the estimated 44 million Americans with literacy problems.
SUPPORT:
- Murdoch, J. (2000). "You Say Tomato" Language and Growth in the World's Major Media Markets. The Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival. http://www.geitf.co.uk/prog/murdochspeech.htm