Unit 1 Assignment 2

1. The Internet's Impact on Modern Society
Introduction
In this day and age the internet serves as the backbone for all technological devices and
systems across the globe. With the internet once being used only as a source for information it
has now has evolved allowing everyday people to set up online businesses, pay bills, purchase
items online, connect through social media sites and much more. The internet has
revolutionized how our society operates making an impact on millions of people's lives
everyday.
Accessing the Internet
The internet is used by people around the world for a variety of reason. These reasons are
based of the following:
Information
Many individuals use the internet as a tool to gain new information. For example if someone
was looking for information on a local concert this could be done through the use of sites such
as Google or Bing etc.
Communication
The internet is widely used as a form of communication. The internet offers various sites such
as Facebook were users can interact with one another.

2. Online Purchases
People use the internet to purchase items directly from their devices. For example transactions
can be made online for paid movie subscriptions or ordering items from sites online to be
delivered.
The increasing number of Internet users worldwide
For most people the internet is a huge part of everyday life, not only this but the amount of daily
users is increasing every year. As of present roughly 50% of the world has a connection to the
internet.
Below is a table that demonstrates the true growth in the number of internet users across the
world. The statics measure the growth over a 10 year period.
Year Internet Users Penetration
(% of
Population)
World Population
2016 3,424,971,237 46.1% 7,432,663,275
2015 3,185,996,155 43.4% 7,349,472,099
2014 2,956,385,569 40.7% 7,265,785,946
2013 2,728,428,107 38% 7,181,715,139
2012 2,494,736,248 35.1% 7,097,500,453
2011 2,231,957,359 31.8% 7,013,427,052
2010 2,023,202,974 29.2% 6,929,725,043
2009 1,766,403,814 25.8% 6,846,479,521
2008 1,575,067,520 23.3% 6,763,732,879
2007 1,373,226,988 20.6% 6,681,607,320
2006 1,162,916,818 17.6% 6,600,220,247

3. Internet Speeds Around The World
Over the years the internet has adapted its processing speed to match the demand. As of
present people are able to purchase internet plans that can cater up to 1000+ Mbps (megabytes
per second.) Despite the fast internet speeds we have now this was not always the case in the
past. Today the average internet speed between all countries is 7.2 mbps.
In 1993 with the first introduction of the World Wide Web the internet speed was only 56
kbps(kilobytes per second). Compared to the internet speed in 1993, the present speed is
1785614.29% faster!
The table above represents a list of the countries with the fastest internet and mobile internet
connections in the world.

4. Digital Devices Used By People Around the World
The Top 4 Devices Used to Access the Internet Within the UK
#1 Smartphone
The smartphone is currently
the most used device to
access the internet within the
UK. As of 2018 it is estimated
that 48 percent of the total
devices used to access the
internet are smartphones. The
percentage of smartphone
users is on the rise each year.
#2 Laptop
Despite being in existence
decades before smartphones,
laptops are the UK’s second
most used device to access
the internet. As of 2018 it is
estimated that 24 percent of
the total devices used to
access the internet are
Laptops. This number is slowly
rising each year.

5. #3 Tablet Computers
Tablet Computers are currently
the third most popular form of
digital device used to access
the internet within the UK. The
current most popular branded
Tablet used is the iPad by
Apple. As of 2018 it is
estimated that 15 percent of
the total devices used to
access the internet are
Tablets. This number is slowly
rising each year however it has
heavy competition from
smartphone users.
#4 Desktop PC
The Desktop PC is the fourth
most commonly used device
to access the internet within
the UK. However in recent
years the Desktop PC usage
rate has been declining as
portable devices have suited
the needs of more people. As
of 2018 it is estimated that 9
percent of the total devices
used to access the internet are
Desktop PC’s.

6. How Consumers Search for Information on the Internet
When users browse the internet they use a search engine to do so. Currently Google is the
world's leading search engine used by billions around the world. The search engine receives
over 1.2 trillion searches per year while averaging over 5 billion searches per day!
The market share of search engines (2018)
The pie chart above shows the search engines that make up the market. Google has continued
to expand its user numbers every year while its competitors Baidu, Yahoo! And Bing have been
slowly losing users every year.

7. What Consumers Buy Online
The internet allows user to have access to websites that sell products and services which can
be purchased online. With the increasing growth of the number of users on the internet, online
shopping is now more popular than ever. Every year online shopping is increasingly getting
more and more popular among the users of the internet, thus competing highly against the retail
markets.
Why People Choose To Buy Online
Convenience
Shopping online is extremely convenient and can be done through any device that can connect
to the internet. When people choose to shop online they are given the freedom to browse and
purchase products on a 24/7 basIs, where as in retail stores you can only enter the stores
during opening hours.
Variety
With shopping online comes more variety in products to choose from compared to a standard
retail store. With the help of the internet you can find any product/service you are looking for.
The internet helps you discover trending products and services even allowing your to discover
trends internationally without having to even enter the country itself!
Affordable Prices
The prices on products online tend to be much cheaper as the products come directly from the
manufactures and vendors without involving third parties or middlemen. Search engines such as
Google or Bing offer the ability to access sites which compare product prices from the entire
internet allowing customers to search and find the best deals thus saving money.

8. Product Categories With the Highest Online Sales
Online Products and Services Purchased the Most in the UK (2018)
The above bar chart represents the series of online products/services that were purchased the
most during 2018 within the United Kingdom. The most popular products/services ranged from
clothing and sporting goods, household goods, holiday accommodation and travel expenses.
These correlations of the online consumer habits represent a high trend thus creating a
substantial demand for these products throughout the United Kingdom in 2018. dftghyj

9. Online Video Consumption
Over the years online video consumption has grown considerably making a huge impact on the
users of the internet, having recently overtaken television consumption globally. Nowadays
people are generally consuming much less information, entertainment and news from sources
like radio stations, magazines, textbooks and newspapers etc. It is now much easier for people
to discover the above information using online video services such as Youtube, Netflix and
Facebook etc. Online video consumption is increasingly popular among the younger generation.
Netflix
Netflix is an online service which provides unlimited viewings of commercial free movies and
television series for its monthly subscribers. The site can be accessed by any device which
offers an internet connection.
The site boasts over 140 million subscribers worldwide and is regarded as the most popular site
to stream movies. Netflix offers a variety of factors that has made the site a important part of the
daily lives of internet users.
Variety
Compared to cable television, Netflix offers a huge variety of movies and television series which
many genres depending on the viewers mood. Most cable tv’s that offer television series only
show an episode a day whereas on Netflix the site upolouds the entire television series so
consumers do not need to wait weeks to watch a entire show. .

10. Consumer Trends
With the constant growth of the amount of internet users over the past five years has come with
the constant evolution of how how technology has impacted their everyday lives. Just five years
ago consumers had much less control and communication over what they access within the
internet, whereas now in the present consumers have the access to forever improving
technology giving them more freedom and power to do so as they wish than ever before.
The chart above is a clear example of how consumer trends have affected online sales
worldwide. It shows a constant rise in the number of people using digital devices to purchases
items online.
Evolution of consumer interactions with online stores
Over the past few years there has been the introduction of more advanced customer
communication channels and methods among online stores. In the past most online stores only
offered their customer service through dedicated phone lines or through emails. However at the
time the chosen communication channels did not offer a fast service and relied on stores to only
communicate during work hours etc.
Fast forward to 2019 most online stores now use various social media platforms such as
Facebook and Twitter. The use of social media platforms to interact with consumers has allowed
online companies to capitalize of the the growing social media trend to provide live hats and fast

11. replies to consumer inquiries etc. Online companies that use social media sites such as
Facebook allow their online stores to be readily accessible to millions of people across the
internet at any given time. With the use of new communication methods, online customers
needs are put first.
The above picture is an example how a restaurant utilises facebook to communicate and
provide customer support for its consumers.
Summary
For most people Technology is a huge part of everyday life, not only this but the amount of daily
users is forever increasing. As the years have gone by more and more people use technology to
gain access the internet and the opportunities it offers affecting billions of people worldwide.
Thanks to the constant evolution of new technology and trends consumers of technology can
communicate with each other over the internet and purchases items directly from their digital
devices. The perks of modern day technology is that almost all digital devices can be used to
access the internet. People are able to use search engines such as google on their devices to
gain information which can be applied to work or for students etc. The introduction to online
shopping has played a key impact to consumers of technological devices enabling people to
use their devices to browse and purchase products while even being able to compare prices
online to find the best prices. The online shopping market has a huge impact on millions

12. worldwide allowing people to buy what they need when they need on a 24/7 basis. Overall the
advancement of technology that allows internet access has made a huge impact on how our
modern day society operates. With the internet once being used only as a source for information
it has now has evolved allowing everyday people to set up online businesses, pay bills,
purchase items online, connect through social media sites and much more. The internet has
revolutionized how our society operates making an impact on millions of people's lives
everyday.
Reference List
-​https://www.statista.com/statistics/204954/average-internet-connection-speed-worldwide/
-http://time.com/money/3896219/internet-users-worldwide/
-​https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo
-​https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23738871.2016.1157619
-https://www.livescience.com/20727-internet-history.html
-​https://www.statista.com/topics/2333/e-commerce-in-the-united-kingdom/
-​https://www.statista.com/statistics/273018/number-of-internet-users-worldwide/
-​https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
-https://www.nielsen.com/nz/en/insights/news/2015/the-why-behindthe-online-buy.html
-​https://tubularinsights.com/2019-internet-video-traffic/
-​https://www.statista.com/statistics/387447/consumer-electronic-devices-by-internet-access-in-t
he-uk/
-​https://ecommercenews.eu/87-of-uk-retail-purchases-made-online/
-https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/netflix-1202979619-1202979619/
-https://medium.com/analytics-for-humans/the-evolution-of-consumer-behavior-in-the-digital-age
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