The small slice of folks who sit atop North Korea's sociopolitical  hierarchy use the internet pretty much like anyone else in the world,  according to a study published by Recorded Future on Wednesday.  That might sound surprising, and indeed the report sparked a flurry  of news stories on the topic. But it shouldn't come as a shock,  according to experts familiar with the region. SEE ALSO: U.S. bans tourists from traveling to North Korea "It shouldn't be a surprise that they like gaming and shopping at  Amazon," said Robert Manning, an Asia analyst with The Atlantic Council.  "I think it's not as weird a place as people think it is." The internet activity of North Koreans, as noted by Recorded Future, definitely supports that.  North Koreans with access to the open internet — generally the  members of the ruling family and those they trust, such as friends and  staff members — do things you or I or really anyone else does on the  internet. They read the news, mess around on Facebook, play some games,  check email, and search for stuff on Amazon. They spend a ton of their  time on the internet streaming stuff and gaming. Those two things  combined make up 65 percent of North Korean internet activity.   

       Those with internet access in North Korea are also fluent in United States culture and political discourse.    

Those with internet access in North Korea are also fluent in United  States culture and political discourse, according to Michael Madden, who  runs North Korea Leadership Watch. They watch American pundits and read  The New York Times and other international news outlets. "North Koreans are not nearly as hermetically sealed as we make them  out to be, and North Koreans are not nearly as hermetically sealed as  they make themselves out to be," Madden said.  The country is more open than people realize, though access to any  type of online information is still strictly monitored if you're not  high up on the ruling family food chain. Many North Koreans have cellphones, but those phones are equipped  with little more than the ability to call and text, according to  Recorded Future. Some, such as "university students, scientists, and  select government officials," have access to the nation's intranet,  which is run and closely monitored by the government.  While officials might be concerned about the computer activity of  their fellow citizens, they're evidently not that concerned that others  can look in on their own computer antics. Recorded Future was able to  get their data because, like seemingly damn near everyone else on the  internet, the North Korean elite didn't do much to obscure their online  activity. If that doesn't prove an obvious commonality, then I'm not sure what does