No.17   November 1, 2000   Integrating IT into Daily Life:Findings from NRI's "Cyber Life Observations" Surveys   Juro TODA        An environment is gradually developing in Japan that enables people to use a variety of IT tools (media) ranging from cellular phones to the Internet whenever they want. This situation is at the point of transition from a stage in which people used IT equipment and services largely for their novelty and recreational value to one where these will form an integral part of people's daily lives. For this to happen, however, people's doubts will have to be dispelled, and the new equipment and services will have to demonstrate that they are reliable and cost-effective. As deregulation and other structural reforms are carried out and the necessary infrastructure is built, IT will become fully integrated into people's lives.    This paper is based on the results of a series of surveys ("Cyber Life Observations") of men and women aged from 15 to 59 that have been carried out by NRI every six months since March 1997. Contents I IT Is Becoming Pervasive 1 The Rapid Spread of IT 2 People Are Creating New Uses for IT II Will Cellular Phones Replace Fixed-Line Telephones? 1 More Middle-Aged and Elderly Users 2 Use of Cellular and PHS Phones at Home 3 The Emergence of the Mobile Internet III Has the Internet Become a Daily Necessity? 1 The Internet as a Source of Information on Prospective Purchases 2 An Increasing Variety in the Means of Access, Delivery and Payment 3 Reliability to Increase as Companies Commit Themselves to E-Commerce IV Is That Enough? 1 The Doubts That Shadow Cyber Life 2 Fears of a Digital Divide 3 Information Technology Has Only Begun to Play a Role in the Community V The Information Society of the Majority 1 Coproduction by Producers and Consumers 2 The Second Stage in the Integration of IT into Daily Life in Japan GO to PDF