Evolution of the internet and how technology impacts our lives

This slideshow explores how the internet has progressed and how people use technology and the impact it's had on our lives.

1. Evolution of the internet (Section 1) . How consumers use technology and its impact on our lives

2. Introduction Technology has been constantly evolving and has had huge impact on our lives, we have had revolutionary innovations that makes day to day life easier. This presentation will dive into how audiences use technology and the impact it has on their lives. This presentation will also discuss changes in the use of technology and how it has evolved to what it is today.

3. Access to the internet Access to the internet has changed drastically over the past 20 years. We have seen developments in new technology that allows users to easily gain access to the internet with speed and convenience. ‘January 1 st , 1983, is when the internet was created, The online world then took a more recognizable form in 1990 when computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web’ (Andrews. E 2019). The number of people accessing the internet has skyrocketed from years 2005 to 2023, in 2005, it was just above 1 billion users, in 2023 there were 5.4 billion internet users worldwide (Statista. 2023, see fig. 1). This increase can be explained due to major advancements in technology in this time period, for example the smartphone became extremely popular when the first iPhone was released in 2007 and the android operating system came out a year later in 2008. Smartphones revolutionised how people access the internet, it was easy, and you could do it from anywhere as long as you had an internet connection. Nowadays almost everyone has a smartphone, as of 2023 98% of all adults aged 16-24 in the UK have a smartphone (Baker. N 2024). Internet speeds themselves have also been constantly improving from the creation of the internet. From 2024, internet speeds can reach up to 100Mbit/s, whereas on the year 2000, internet speeds could only reach up to 100kbits/s. It is predicted that by 2050, internet speeds will reach up to 50Gbits/s (futuretimeline. 2022, see fig. 2). Constantly increasing internet speeds makes access to the internet easier and more convenient for the users as they will have faster access. Also, with 5G being launched around 2019, internet users could gain faster access to the internet on the go.

4. Fig 1. Number of internet users worldwide from 2005 to 2023 (Statista 2023) Fig. 2 Global average internet speed, 1990-2050 (Futuretimeline 2022)

5. Digital devices used by audiences The public has lots of options for digital devices to use to access the internet as of 2024. The most popular devices that people use are smartphones, a laptop or desktop computer, tablet device and a smart watch or smart wristband. Most consumers own a smartphone at 97.6%, 57.7% of consumers have a Laptop or desktop computer and 30.9% of consumers have a tablet (Oberlo via DataReportal 2024, see Fig. 3). Smartphones have become so popular because they allow users to access the internet from anywhere, they go. This means that they can always be in contact with friends and family. ‘They have been the primary tool for accessing the internet since 2016, as of 2023, 59% of website traffic comes from people using mobile devices, this percentage will continue to grow year to year’ ( Crescenzo . E 2023).

6. Fig 3. Most popular electronics ( Oberlo via DataReportal 2024) Fig 4. Percentage of global population accessing the internet from 2005 to 2022, Worldwide ( Crescenzo . E via Statista 2022)

7. How Customers search for information There are many ways consumers can now search for information in the modern world, Just to name a few, there are search engines, company websites, social media, etc. The average consumer nowadays has way more information at their hand when it comes to making a decision. The most common way a consumer would search for information is to get a direct answer to their question by using a search engine, most people would use google as it is the most popular, it has a 90.91% market share for search engines as of 2024 ( StatCounter 2024, see fig. 5). Consumers can directly find a company’s website through search engines or other customer reviews of a particular product they are interested in purchasing; they may also want to find out about certain features and other uses a product has. So, with the use of search engines, consumers can easily come to a conclusion on whether or not they want to purchase something by getting specific answers to their questions. Social media has become a popular method to search for information, ‘31% of consumers use social media to find answers to their questions, 15% of consumers prefer to use social media over search engines’ (Iskiev.M 2023). This is mostly the younger generation that prefers with method of finding information, so it’s important businesses utilize social media to reach a wider audience, we have already seen businesses make Instagram and TikTok accounts for their marketing strategy over the past few years. As of 2024, Instagram has 1.4 billion active users worldwide ( Oberlo Via Statista 2024, see fig. 6), This shows how popular social media has become.

8. Fig 5. Search engine host market share worldwide ( StatCounter 2024) Fig 6. Number of Instagram users worldwide 2020-2025 ( Oberlo via Statista 2024)

9. What consumers buy online Online shopping is now one of the most popular forms of shopping, ‘in 2024 89% of people in the UK have bought something online in the year ending December 2023’ ( MacNaught . S 2024). Online shopping has always been growing and increasing in size; however, the covid-19 pandemic certainly made a huge impact on this, in May 2022, seasonally adjusted internet sales accounted for 26.6% of all official retail sales, compared with 19.7% in February 2020 (Office for National Statistics 2021). Online shopping has become so popular due to the convenience of it, people do not need to leave their homes as the product they purchased gets delivered straight to their door. The two most popular types of products that consumers buy online are apparel (fashion) and electronics, these dominate the market, as of 2024, apparel has a market value of $1.53 trillion and electronics has a value of $1.14 trillion, this is a huge jump from the third most popular online products being footwear, with a market value $381.9 billion ( Ashique 2024, see fig. 7). Apparel having the highest market value can be explained by the constant changes in the fashion industry, consumers are constantly looking for new styles and trends, also old clothes will begin to wear out, so consumers are always purchasing fresh clothing. Electronics are obviously essential; these include things like mobile phones and computers that almost everyone owns, not to mention the constant innovation and new trends with electronic products.

10. Fig. 7 Most products sold online in 2024 ( Ashique 2024)

11. Online video consumption Video consumption has become very popular in recent times. This is because it’s easier to take in comparing to reading about something. ‘Our brains are far more efficient at processing visual imagery compared to text; the brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than it does text’ (Lee. K 2014). ‘It is now estimated that video content makes up over 82% of all internet traffic, a good chunk of this traffic includes paid streaming services like Netflix, Disney+ and others’ ( ChannelFactory . 2022). The massive increase in amount of video content consumed is mainly due to the covid 19 pandemic and increase in streaming platforms because of this. TikTok has been a massive factor when it comes to the increase in online video consumption. TikTok has been skyrocketing in popularity since 2018, each year it grows massively, ‘TikTok reached 1.5 billion users in 2023, a 16% increase on the previous year’ (Iqbal. M 2024 see fig. 8). This massive increase in the popularity of TikTok has created major shifts in how videos are made and consumed. The biggest concern with TikTok is that it is decreasing the attention span of the population, this is due to the short length of the videos. This results in businesses having to adapt and make shorter videos for their marketing campaigns if they want to reach their target audience.

12. Fig. 8 TikTok quarterly users 2018 to 2023 (Iqbal. M 2024)

13. Consumer trends Over a 3–5-year period, the use of technology has changed, this has created new trends among consumers. Online shopping is the most popular form of shopping, the covid 19 pandemic certainly accelerated the growth of this industry as restrictions for going outside were in place. Another new trend is the use of social media, there has been a rise in consumers preferring to use a form of social media to gather information and recommendations on certain products. Also, TikTok has become massively popular, growing each year setting a new trend of shorter style video consumption, we have seen other social media platforms adapt to this, for example Instagram creating an Instagram Reels section of their platform which is very similar to TikTok. Although there are many new trends, some trends have remained the same. For example, for some time now fashion and electronics have been the most popular products people shop for online. Also, although social media has grown when it comes to searching for information, the use of search engines still remains the preferred way of gathering information for the majority of consumers. Smartphones have been the biggest trend pretty much since 2007, almost everyone owns a smartphone, and it is still the most used device on the planet.

14. Summary Technology has had a huge impact on our lives, mostly good, however some bad. Smartphones have been the most revolutionary piece of technology; it has allowed us to have constant access to the internet, internet access allows use to use search engines to search for any piece of information at any time. With this, the average consumer nowadays is far more knowledgeable. Internet access allows customers to shop for whatever they want online, making it extremely convenient for the consumer, fashion and electronics are the two most popular areas of purchase with online shopping. Smartphones also allow us to be in contact with friends and family at any time. Short-form video consumption has become a very popular trend, we can see this with TikTok's growth within the past few years. This is has been making a huge impact, our attention spans as humans have decreased as a result of this and is becoming a concern. Many people find it difficult to focus on longer activities due to this. however, platforms like TikTok and Instagram reels can be helpful for consumers looking for quick and easy to digest information on certain topics.

15. Reference list Andrews. E (2019) Who Invented The Internet? (online blog) Available at: https://www.history.com/news/who-invented-the-internet (Accessed 28th May 2024) Statista (2023) Number of internet users worldwide from 2005 to 2023 (online) Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/273018/number-of-internet-users-worldwide/ (Accessed 29 th May 2024) Baker. N (2024) UK mobile phone statistics (online blog) Available at: https://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/studies/mobile-statistics/#:~:text=Mobile%20phone%20user%20statistics%20show,80%25%20aged%2065%20and%20above . (Accessed 29 th May 2024) FutureTimeline (2022) Global average internet speed, 1990-2050 (online) Available at: https://futuretimeline.net/data-trends/2050-future-internet-speed-predictions.htm (Accessed 29th May 2024) Oberlo (2024) Most popular electronics via DataReportal (online) Available at: https://www.oberlo.com/statistics/most-popular-electronics (Accessed 29th May 2024) Crescenzo . E (2023) How consumers use digital technology and its impact on their lives (Graph via Statista 2022) (Online blog) Available at: https://medium.com/@e.decrescenzo/how-consumers-use-digital-technology-and-its-impact-on-their-lives-with-data-up-to-2023-de9e038f7a47#:~:text=Concerning%20digital%20devices%20used%20by,desktops%20and%20laptops%20%5B3%5D.&text=Today%2C%2059%25%20of%20website%20traffic,growing%20from%20year%20to%20year. (Accessed 30 th May 2024) StatCounter (2024) Search engine host market share worldwide (Online) Available at: https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-host-market-share (Accessed 30th May 2024) Iskiev . M (2023) The people search the web is changing (Online blog) Available at: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-search-behaviors-are-changing Oberlo (2024) Number of Instagram users worldwide 2020-2025 via Statista (Online) Available at: https://www.oberlo.com/statistics/how-many-people-use-instagram (Accessed 30th May 2024) MacNaught . S (2024) Ecommerce Statistics 2024 – the numbers (Online blog) Available at: https://www.microbizmag.co.uk/ecommerce-statistics/#:~:text=How%20many%20people%20are%20shopping,all%20in%20the%20past%20year . (Accessed 31 st May 2024)

16. Office for National Statistics (2021) How our spending has changed since the end of covid-19 restrictions (online) Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/retailindustry/articles/howourspendinghaschangedsincetheendofcoronaviruscovid19restrictions/2022-07-11#:~:text=In%20May%202022%2C%20seasonally%20adjusted,to%20have%20accelerated%20the%20trend . (Accessed 31 st May 2024) Ashqiue (2024) What do people buy the most online in 2024? (Online blog) Available at: https://dodropshipping.com/what-do-people-buy-the-most-online/ (Accessed 31 st May 2024) Lee. K (2014) A complete guide to visual content: the science, tools and strategy of creating killer images (Online blog) Available at: https://buffer.com/resources/a-complete-guide-to-creating-awesome-visual-content/ (Accessed 31 st May 2024) ChannelFactory (2022) How video Consumption has evolved and changed the digital landscape (Online blog) Available at: https://channelfactory.com/how-video-consumption-has-evolved-and-changed-the-digital-landscape/ (Accessed 31 st May 2024) Iqbal. M (2024) TikTok quarterly users 2018 to 2023 (Online blog) Available at: https://www.businessofapps.com/data/tik-tok-statistics/ (Accessed 3 rd June 2024)

17. Section 2 ( video script) Access to the internet Developments in technology has allowed people to easily gain access to the internet. In 2005 there were 1 billion users on the internet, as of 2023 there are 5.4 billion users on the internet worldwide. This can be explained by how popular smartphones have become, the first iPhone was released in 2007 and the android operating system came a year later in 2008. This made access extremely easy as someone could use the internet at any time and place as long as they had connection. As of 2023 98% of adults aged 16-24 in the UK have a smartphone. 4G and the release of 5G in 2019 makes it easier for people to access the internet on the go. Digital devices used by Audiences Consumers have a lot of options for various digital devices. The most popular devices are smartphones, laptops, desktop computers, tablets and smart watches. 97.6% of consumers own a smartphone, 57.7% own a laptop or desktop computer and 30.9% own a tablet. As of 2023, 59% of website traffic comes from people using mobile devices, this is predicted to grow every year. How consumers search for information Search engines tend to be the most used way consumers search for their information, search engines give a direct answer to their question. Google is the most popular search engine, it has a 90.1% market share for search engines as of 2024. With the use of search engines consumers can easily find a companies website and reviews on particular products they are interested in. However, social media is becoming a popular way to find information, 31% of users use it to find answers to their questions and 15% say they prefer to use social media for their information. What consumers buy online Online shopping has become one of the most popular forms of shopping 89% of people bought something online in the year ending December 2023, online shopping is very convenient for the consumer as the product gets delivered straight to their door. Fashion and electronics are the most popular products people shop for online, as of 2024, fashion has a market value of $1.53 trillion and electronics has a value of $1.14 trillion. Fashion being the most popular can be explained by constant changes in the fashion industry, people are always trying new looks, electronics being in 2 nd place is due to them being essential, these include products like mobile phones. Online video consumption Online video consumption has become very popular as of recent times, this is because our brains process visual imagery 60,000 times faster than it does text. Video content is estimated to make up 82% of internet traffic a good chunk of this traffic comes from streaming services such as Netflix. TikTok has become extremely popular, TikTok reached 1.5 billion users in 2023, this is a 16% increase from the previous year. TikTok has popularised short-form video content.

18. Consumer trends Over a 3-5 year period, changes in technology has created new trends with consumers. Online shopping is now the most popular form of shopping, the COVID 19 pandemic certainly accelerated the growth of this industry. TikTok has become a huge trend, it has popularised short form video content, which has forced businesses and other social media platforms to adapt, for example, Instagram creating a reel's section. Some trends have remained the same, for example fashion and electronics still remain the most popular products people shop for online. Also, consumers still prefer to use search engines when gathering information. Summary Technology has had a huge impact on out day to day lives. We can use smartphones anywhere to access the internet and search for any piece of information at any time, this makes the average consumer far more knowledgeable. Consumers can also shop for whatever they want online and get delivery, also people are able to constantly be in contact with friends and family. These are all good things about technology, however there are some concerns. For example, with the growth of TikTok and short-form video consumption, the attention span of a human is continually decreasing, and people are finding it hard to focus.