There were 15.7 million Hispanic users of the internet in the U.S. in 2005, according to eMarketer, and that number is expected to increase to 16.7 million in 2006, 18.7 million in 2008 - and reach nearly 21 million, by 2010. "This means that by 2010 the number of Hispanic Internet users will approach the number of African-American users," says Debra Aho Williamson, eMarketer Senior Analyst and author of the new report "Hispanic Youth Online: A Language and Culture Define Usage."

eMarketer expects African American internet users in the U.S. to total 21.7 million in 2010, compared with 20.9 million Hispanic users and 11.1 million Asian American users from a total of 196.0 million U.S. internet users.

The U.S. Hispanic population is young, particularly the online segment: In 2005, there were 9.1 million Hispanic internet users under the age of 35, and that number is projected to grow to 12.1 million in 2010.

"By 2010, when the median age of the US population is expected to be 36, the Hispanic median age will be just over 27, and in 2010, one-third of all Hispanic people in the U.S. will be under 18," says Williamson.