An interactive Web site on the Internet economy in the G-20

This interactive Web page from the Boston Consulting Group characterizes the Internet economy and its impact on commerce and small-medium enterprises and benefits to consumers in the G-20 nations. (The site is free to use, but registration is required).

For example, here is the Internet Economy display for the US (click to zoom):

The consumer benefit view includes results of a lifestyle survey, asking respondents whether they would rather give up a year of Internet access or a year of various other things like chocolate and exercise.

It turns out that many people would rather do without satellite navigation, fast food, chocolate, alcohol and coffee than skip the Internet for a year, but they generally prefer sex, their cars and showering to the Internet. Exercise falls in the middle -- about half of us would rather give it up than the Internet, as you see here.

You can have some fun browsing this data and, if you are a teacher, asking students to take the lifestyle survey would be a good way to get them talking.