In 2014, the Internet added an entire United States to its user base

In 2013, the Internet grew a great deal, adding a number of new users equivalent to about the population of the United States. The caveat: even that growing global online population tends to look a lot like that of the United States -- relatively well-off, generally educated, and fairly young.

According to this year's edition of the "Measuring the Information Society" report from the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union, by the end of 2014, the Internet will be used by 3 billion people around the world. That's an increase of 300 million people since last year, and it means we're quickly approaching the point where half of the world's population will be online. Less encouraging for fans of the Internet, though, is that usage is not distributed evenly yet.