Intensity of Internet Use in Canada: Exploring Canadians' Engagement with the Internet

Using Canadian Internet Use Survey data, this paper explores measures of engagement with the Internet. Measures of engagement provide a means of understanding how Internet users interact with the Internet. While the concept of engagement cannot directly measure users’ skills, competences or comfort levels with the Internet, it can provide a proxy understanding of Internet users’ readiness to embrace the Internet in their daily routines. This allows for a discussion of Internet usage that moves well beyond simple questions of access toward an understanding of how (and/or whether) Canadians can become full participants in an information-based society.