1. Digital Technology
How consumers use technology and how it impacts our lives:
Technology has greatly impacted our lives by allowing better communication with friend's family and business. Thanks
to Zoom, FaceTime and online video calls it has meant that families and friends have been able to stay in touch and
feel close to one another throughout the COVID 19 Pandemic.
It is seen a necessity rather than a convenience.
Assignment 2 (slideshare.net)
2. Introduction
It all began in the USA in the 1950’s.
At this time computers were large, very expensive and used exclusively
by military scientists and university staff. They were powerful but of
course, limited to numbers.
In 1969, the APRANET came online with speeds of up to 56 Kbps. The
average internet speed in 2021 ranges from 8Mbps to over 900 Mbps, this
does depend on where you are living.
Today, the internet has revolutionized and has become something that
we use everyday, almost all day in some cases. From messaging friends
and family to ordering food and everyday necessities.
3. Digital Devices used by audiences
The internet can be accessed via many different devices. An example
of these are Desktop, Smart Phones, iPads, and even things like Apple
Watches and Fitbits.
30% of people in the UK own five or more connected devices, one in
ten reported that they did not own a single connected device
The most common type of internet access is via Smart Phone/Mobile
devices. This has risen by 26% since 2013.
Email is the currently the most common source of internet activity
with over 86% of adults using this. Internet Banking sits at 73%
whereas instant messaging services such as iMessage, WhatsApp and
Skype is 72%.
4. How to search for Information Online
Search Engines. The biggest being Google, you can pretty much
Google anything you desire and find the answer or product etc to
what it is you are looking for.
A search engine is a web service that uses robots to query pages on
the internet to create an index of web pages. These include, Yahoo,
About, Bing and Ask.com
You will also find that recommendations are available via Reviews
(Google Review, Trip Advisor Reviews) this helps customers to do their
own research when locating information online
From February 2010, Apple introduced SIRI which allows iPhone users
to virtually ask questions to their phone. SIRI will connect and
provide search results via a range of the above search engines.
5. What consumers buy online
Consumers have the power to purchase anything online via tablets,
smartphones or computers.
As of 2021 the most common online order is Fashion. Consumers are
forecast to spend $769.5 billion on fashion related products.
During the pandemic, the second most popular online order is toys, hobby
and DIY.
As you can see, below are the Top Online Shopping Categories as of 2021.
This is a huge improvement on convenience for customers as they don’t
need to enter a store physically and can purchase from the comfort of
their own homes. It also provides them with a comparison of different
products and prices.
6. Online Video Consumption
With thanks to mobile devices, online video is always available on demand.
Allowing people access to view online anywhere, anytime and on any screen.
One in three adults aged between 18 and 54 use their smartphone as their
primary device for watching online videos.
The consumption of online video is continuing to grow rapidly, the average
person will spend half as much time viewing online videos as they do watching
TV, a year.
With companies like Netflix, Amazon Prime etc viewers can tune into their
favorite shows/series at anytime and anywhere as APPs can be downloaded
onto pretty much all devices.
The increase of video consumption will also lead to a rise in custom made
products and services, which has an impact on the future of buying. It will
eventually become less about the products.
7. Consumer Trends
The Internet has ‘turned our existence upside down’
It has revolutionized and become a huge part of everybody's, everyday lives.
In almost everything we do; we use the internet.
The nature of technology is the fact that it improves with each era. With 5G
available the online world has become faster and more connected.
Can you imagine what the internet will look like in 10 years from now?
An example of what Instagram looked like in 2010, the year it launched,
compared to the accounts and following growth in 2021.
8. Overall, the power of the Internet is just next to none.
If you were to ask yourself how much you use the Internet (messaging, online
searches etc) in a day, it will only speak for itself.
With iPhones now providing a Weekly Report of the amount of time the
individual is spent using the internet you will know just how important it is to
you.
The worry and panic when you suddenly loose access to the internet or, loose
your mobile phone is very real!
The Impact it has allowed involves
HOWEVER, we must talk about the Negative effects that this could have on people
lives. It is very important to be aware of this to make sure that it doesn’t
completely take over our lives. The cons of the internet can be seen as an
addiction, and impulse control disorder. Also, the expense of the internet, there is
always a cost involved to stay online.
Summary
9. Reference List
https://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/computers/
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/householdcharacter
istics/homeinternetandsocialmediausage/bulletins/internetaccesshouseholdsa
ndindividuals/2019
How audiences use technology – ElKelly Digital Marketing (wordpress.com)
How do search engines work? - BBC Bitesize
What Consumers Buy Online, And What They Use To Do It | PYMNTS.com
Online Video Consumption Statistics | Millennial Studios
Consumer trends, UK - Office for National Statistics
12 Pros and Cons of Internet – Vittana.org
