德國年輕人爲了網絡不惜放棄其他

German 20-somethings would ditch their spouses and do without a car in a heartbeat if they had to choose between having them or Internet access or a mobile phone, according to an industry study.

In a survey by German broadband association Bitkom around 84 percent of respondents aged 19-29 said they would rather do without their current partner or an automobile than forego their connection to the Web.

Living without a mobile phone was also unthinkable for 97 percent of those questioned in that age range.

Nevertheless, Bitkom president August-Wilhelm Scheer said on Monday in Hanover that did not mean that "the Web is an anonymous medium that leads to social indifference".

One of the main themes at this year's annual tech trade fair CeBit in Hanover is what the organizers have dubbed "Webciety", short for World Wide Web society.

Bitkom said 1,000 people had taken part in the survey, and one in two people said they had made new friends thanks to chat forums and Internet communities. Around 8 percent said they had found a new partner thanks to online relations.

"The Web creates real relationships and does not result in autism and dehumanization," said Scheer, who admitted he gets nervous when he does not have Internet access while on vacation.

Still, Scheer said, there was a digital divide in Germany that needed to be bridged. "There's a gap and it's not with 30-year-olds or 40-year-olds it's with those 50 years of age and above," Scheer said.

The way people in their 40s and those in their 20s used the Web did not differ much, Scheer said, but the difference to someone in their mid-fifties was significant. "One of the main challenges in society today is to ensure that all age groups are up to par when it comes to the Internet."

一項行業調查發現，如果非要在情侶、車和上網或手機之間做出選擇，德國20多歲的年輕人會毫不猶豫地放棄前者。

這項由德國寬帶協會Bitkom開展的調查發現，在19歲至29歲的受訪者中，有84%的人稱他們寧願放棄現在的情侶或車，也不願捨棄網絡。

同時，在這一年齡段中97%的受訪者表示無法想象沒有手機的生活。

儘管如此，Bitkom總裁奧古斯特-威廉•施爾於本週一在漢諾威稱，這並不能說明“網絡是一種造成社會人情淡漠的匿名媒介。”

今年在漢諾威召開的Cebit科技商品交易會的一大主題就是主辦方所稱的“互聯網社會（Webciety: World Wide Web society）”。

Bitkom稱，在參加調查的一千人中，有一半的人稱他們通過網絡聊天室和交友社區結識了新朋友。約8%的受訪者稱他們通過網絡找到了新伴侶。

施爾說：“網絡能締造真實的人際關係，並不會導致孤僻和人情淡漠。”施爾坦稱自己在休假時如果不能上網，就會感到緊張焦慮。

他還說，目前德國社會存在一個需要彌合的數碼代溝。“這一代溝並非存在於20多歲的人和三四十歲的人之間，而是和五十多歲的人之間。”

他說，40多歲的人和20多歲的人在使用互聯網方面差別並不大，但若與50多歲的人相比，這一差別就很顯著。“目前存在的一個主要挑戰就是，保證社會各個年齡層次的人在互聯網使用方面都能達標。”

Vocabulary:

ditch:to get rid of; discard（丟棄；捨棄 ditched the old yard furniture）

in a heartbeat:馬上，立刻（I' d leave in a heartbeat if I had any money. 要是有錢我馬上就離開。）

unthinkable:impossible to imagine; inconceivable （無法想象的：不可想象的；無法設想的）

up to par:達到標準