Actually, at this speed of evolution (I mean, the speed of tech evoluation), it isn't common to find people in their late 60's following new technologies. In 'almost there' countries (haha just created this term), where they are 4 or 5 years behind new technologies, the news from "developed countries" come faster then before. They have been listening internet all the time, but they don't realize very well the economic/politic/social benefits of it. Frequently I've been asked by old relatives living in Brazil: "what is this kind of 'ipone' (not iPhone) that the kids are asking for?", and other questions like "how they can make money simple clicking the mouse?", "Why my internet doesn't work?" (when they mean, computer). I already got my mother researching for "internet" using google and wikipedia. She told me that she was looking for how the internet can help her pupils (she is a professor for a primary school). We are going to have a life longer than was in 20th century and we are going to have more and - Tiago Vieira

Tiago, very interesting theory, your idea has made me think that the majority of such uses is actually from peopl researching what internet is and trying to figure out what to do with the entire substance now that they are in. Brilliant, I appreciate your input! - Svetlana Gladkova from twhirl

If they aren't using any Booleon operators, any search phrase with Internet in it will bring it up as a search term. If I Google Internet Service Provider instead of "Internet Service Provider" it shows it separately in logs. People are stupid, but not that many of them. - Cyndy

@Cyndy: True but I can't be so sure because I have the stats for search phrases separated from the stats for search words, that's why I tend to think some of those people actually google only the word "internet". - Svetlana Gladkova from twhirl

@gregory: And does searching for this word only help you understand what you don't know about it? I personally have not found anything unknown at all in the SERPs but if I search for some more specific search phrases the results do tend to be useful. - Svetlana Gladkova from twhirl

@K Welch: That's interesting and definitely deserves a separate post :) - Svetlana Gladkova from twhirl