Evolution of the internet
How Consumers use technology and its impact on our lives

Introduction
The internet has revolutionised the world and it has changed the way we go about our
daily lives. From only the government using the internet to store and access information
to being able to watch videos and shop online. We go into how the number of consumers
accessing the internet has changed over the years as well as the evolution of internet
speeds. How we access information and the use of different digital devices to access the
internet and changes in online video consumption.

Brief history of the internet?
The internet started in the 1960s for a way for government
researchers to share information, but January 1st 1983 was
the official birthday of the internet. The world wide web was
fairly new only being developed in the late 1980s by the
European lab for particle physics in Switzerland. The internet
was quickly welcomed by the public that is now one of the
most popular ways to search for information. Some
authorities estimate there to be over 800 million documents
to be on the internet.
(usg.edu. 2022)

Reasons why people access the internet
To gather information
To socialise
To communicate
To be updated on the news
For entertainment
Banking
For business

Access to the internet
Year
Amount of people

Different types of internet
●
Dial - Up
●
DSL
●
Cable Internet
●
Satellite internet
●
Fibre optic broadband
Dial up internet was first offered commercially in 1992
and by 1998 users could expect the best connection to
be 56kbps.
But broadband provides a better connection to the
internet such as:
- Faster web browsing
- Faster uploading and downloading speeds
- Video streaming
- Online gaming
- Secure online banking

Changes in internet speeds
KBPS
Year
In the 90s dial up was what
was used to access the
internet with slow speeds
were 56kbps. And from the
year 2000 came Broadband
internet which was a lot faster
and made browsing the web a
lot easier. (Beckett, M. 2022)

Digital devices used by audiences
There are 5 billion internet users 60% of the web traffic comes through mobile phones. While a combined 24% comes from
laptop and computer users and only 12% are tablet device users. (statista.com, 2020)

Time spent online by device
Digital devices are becoming more popular for consumers to use as it’s more
convenient and faster. But as smartphones are the most accessible and in
everyone's back pocket they are the device that consumers spent the most
time online.
SMARTPHONE PC/LAPTOP TABLET
60% 16% 12%

Global internet data
TOTAL POPULATION INTERNET USERS MOBILE PHONE USERS SOCIAL MEDIA USERS
7.98
Billion
5.03
Billion
5.34
Billion
4.7
Billion

How customers search for information
Travel Enquiries
Searching and buying plane
tickets/ holidays.
Property Enquiries
93% of US home buyers used online
websites when searching for a home.
(Statista.com, 2021)
Informational Enquiries
Entertainment based searches such
as social media or video content.

Where online shoppers begin searching for products
Source: statista.com
This graph shows which are the most
popular channels consumers use to
begin searching for information
when purchasing products, search
engines are 40% the most popular to
use by consumers to find products.

In 2020 55% of the UK population bought clothing online, with Food deliveries from
restaurants and fast food chains being at 32%. (statista.com, 2022)
What consumers buy online

Why consumers buy online
Consumers prefer to buy online
because:
- Free shipping
- Lower prices/ discounts
- Price comparison
- More convenient
- More product options
- Minimise Covid-19 Exposure
- Product reviews
- Less time consuming
- Ability to shop 24/7

Online video consumption
91.4% of global internet users watch videos, with the average viewer spending 100
minutes a day watching videos online.

92% of US consumers watch online videos without
sound. 50% of consumers watch online videos with the
sound off but with captions. (Lafayette, J. 2019)
Streamed or downloaded videos were watched by three
billion people online in 2020. (statista.com 2021)

Consumer trends
In 2021, mobile devices were one
of the most visible trends for
e-commerce. 70% of worldwide
retail website visits via
smartphones were accounted for.
(Statista.com, 2022)
SMARTPHONES
MARKETPLACES
As of 2019 online marketplaces
are responsible for the largest
online purchases worldwide.
HEALTHCARE
Due to the long term impact of
COVID-19 14% had remote
(phone or Video) appointments
with health professionals in 2020.
(Deloitte.com, 2020)
Over the last 3 years video
consumption has skyrocketed which
has affected marketing strategies
and they way they need to
communicate with consumers.
VIDEO CONSUMPTION

Summary
- Global internet users continue to rise exponentially
- Internet speeds are improving and getting faster
- The devices being used to access the internet are getting more diverse and sophisticated
- Search engines such as Google is the most used channel consumers use to search for products.
- During 2021, 3 billion people downloaded and streamed videos.

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