The document traces the evolution of technology and the internet from its origins in the 1950s to the present day. It notes that while the earliest concepts of the internet were developed by researchers in the late 1950s and 1960s, it was not until 1992 when students at the University of Illinois created the first web browser that the internet began to take the form we recognize today. Since then, internet usage has skyrocketed, reaching 4.57 billion users globally by 2020. Mobile phones have also become the most popular way to access the internet. The COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated trends of online video consumption and digital communication.

1. EVOLUTION
OF
TECHNOLOGY

2. INTRODUCTION
HISTORY OF
THE INTERNET
The basics of the internet were created in 1957 by NASA at the height of the
cold war, after launching the satellite SPUDNIK into space, NASA focussed on
developing technology. In 1961, the United States Air Force was commissioned
the RAND cooperation to develop a way to transfer vital information, in case of
an attack in war. The idea was to create a network of computers that
communicated to each other- this concept later developed into the World Wide
Web.
By 1992, a group of students and researchers at the University of Illinois
created a browser called ‘Mosiac’, that found a user-friendly way to use the
internet. It reflects the web that we use today, this meant users can see photos
and text together, and use clickable links (History 2019).
Since it’s creation, technology has developed into something that is necessary
in everyday life, we have access to the internet in a variety of forms. This
assignment covers the development of technology since it’s creation.

3. Whilst the countries with the highest penetration rate globally include United Arab Emirates,
Denmark and South Korea (Clement, J. 2020).
North Korea has the lowest penetration rate worldwide, 0% in January 2020 with most of its
general population unconnected from the internet (Clement, J. 2020).
ACCESS TO THE
INTERNET
As of October 2020, there were approx. 4.57 billion people using the internet- around 59%
of the world’s population, compared to 2010’s figure of 1.97 billion users (Clement, J.
2020). This is a massive increase of over 2bn.
Looking at the graph on the
right, China hold the most
internet users, closely
followed by India. Whilst
these countries do have a high
number of users, however
they do not have the highest
penetration rate as they still
have a good amount of their
population offline.
(Statistica 2020)

4. DIGITAL DEVICES
USED BY
AUDIENCES
This graph demonstrates the popularity of different ways to access the internet. As
shown above, the most popular way of accessing the internet is via a mobile- ranking at
around 50%. This has increased since the 2010 statistic of only 24% of people used their
mobile device to connect to the internet (Office for National Statistics 2015)
(StatCounter Global Stats, 2020)

5. HOW CUSTOMERS SEARCH FOR INFORMATION
GO
This refers to searches regarding travel. According to ‘Think
with Google’, searches for “…near me” doubled over the past
year. Plus 82% of people now use a search engine when looking
for local businesses (Gibbons, 2020).
There are 3 ways we can categorise searches: Go,
Know, and Do

6. HOW CUSTOMERS SEARCH FOR INFORMATION
Know
These are informative searches- e.g. how old a celebrity is or
how to start your own blog and compared to a year ago 65%
of people are searching for more information online. Often it
won’t lead to a sale, but instead answer a question or lead to
further knowledge (Gibbons, 2020).

7. HOW CUSTOMERS SEARCH FOR INFORMATION
Do
These are transactional searches. For example, this can be
searching to buy something. Alternatively, this can be
searches to get ideas for a task- DIY searches are up 80%
compared to last year (Comm 2017)

8. WHAT
CONSUMERS
BUY ONLINE
¡ In 2018 an estimated 1.79bn people purchased products/ services online
(Statistica, 2018). This figure rose significantly in 2020 to 2.05bn, potentially due
to the global pandemic, with more people working from home.
¡ When looking at shopping habits, 68% of shopping starts online- regardless of
whether they go in store to make the purchase. Research shows that consumers
do research online prior to making a purchase- mostly on Google and Amazon
(Mohsin, 2020) (e.g. people purchase different products/services online). This
suggests that businesses need to have a strong online presence as this is where
they will impact consumers.
¡ When looking at consumer habits, the most popular item consumers buy online is
fashion items, closely followed by travel and tourism. The internet has
revolutionised the tourism industry- with more people choosing to plan their trips
online than with a travel agent. (Doofinder 2020)

9. WHAT
CONSUMERS
BUY ONLINE
This graph shows the increase in digital buyers since 2014, and estimates the
expected increase in online buyers for 2021. However, this number may increase
by the end of 2020/ 2021 due to the public being encouraged to stay at home
where possible (Oberlo, 2020).

10. CONSUMER
TRENDS
Social Media
Increased use of social media by the public has meant that businesses need to strengthen their
digital presence, Instagram had 1bn monthly users as of Jan 2020, whilst Facebook boasts 2.6 bn.
(Gotter, 2020) Businesses can create a ‘fan-base’ and have a new line of communication between
clients. E.g. Pretty Little Thing has a following of 12.6m, and use influencers to promote their
brand. Customers will use their page to question their orders. According to the University of Utah,
91% of social marketers saw an increase in website traffic after social media campaigns.
Voice command
According to Review 42, nearly 40 million Americans currently own a smart speaker, e.g. Alexa or
Google Home. In addition, 58% of people have used voice search to find information about a local
business (Metev 2020). These have also gained more popularity due to a recent partnership between
Spotify and Google Home, meaning those with a Spotify premium account were entitled to a free
Google Home device.
Users of smart speakers ask for music 70% of the time and for weather updates 64%. The use of
smart speakers is projected to keep rising, with 55% of all US homes expected to have a smart
speaker by 2022 (Metev 2020).

11. ONLINE VIDEO
CONSUMPTION
In recent years, video content has risen in popularity- e.g. every minute 500 videos are uploaded to
youtube. With the recent updates on Instagram- including the introduction of Reels- businesses are
seeing greater interaction with their customers. According to Red-Fern, in 2020 85% of businesses
utilise videos as a marketing tool (Tomlinson, 2020).
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the global lockdowns, video streaming has increased. Paid for
streaming has seen a large increase, with Netflix gaining 16m subscribers worldwide (BBC 2020)
(Emotional Logic – Behavioural Science Market Research Agency, 2020)

12. SUMMARY
When the students at the University of Illinois created the staples of the internet we use today,
they can’t have understood the impact they had. The 4.57bn people using the internet in 2020 is
likely to grow due to the world’s growing population and we are starting to see internet use
increasing in developing economies. It is interesting to see the differences between each country
and how they use the internet- noticeably North America spending 47% of the global advertising
spend, whilst North Korea had the lowest levels of internet penetration.
With mobile phones becoming more accessible to the general public, it has become the most
popular way to access the internet. We also now use the internet to enhance our lives- for
example, to look for local businesses or informative ‘how to’ videos. In addition, thanks to the
COVID-19 pandemic, more of the population are working from home, and will continue for the
foreseeable which explains the growth in subscribers of online streaming platforms.
Over the years, how we have used technology has developed. With the rise of social media, we’ve
seen businesses focus their attention on building a large social presence- with Instagram being the
popular choice. This has meant businesses can gain popularity without expensive marketing, and
connect with clients easier than ever before.
With technology constantly developing, it is easy to wonder where we’ll be in the next 10 years.

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