Technology has significantly increased since the 1970s with the rise of computers, internet access, and devices like smartphones. Nearly 67% of the global population now owns a mobile phone and over 5 billion Google searches are made every day, demonstrating our growing dependence on technology. As technology continues to evolve and become more portable, it will likely have an even greater impact on daily life and consumer trends in the coming decades.

1. TECHNOLOGY AND ITS
IMPACT ON OUR DAILY LIVES

2. The use of technology has risen significantly since the 1970s, with
the increased availability of search engines, computers and other
devices. Brands such as Apple and Samsung have only encouraged
this increase, with new release tablets every year.
INTRODUCTION
Fig. 1 Author n.d. (2016) ‘Changes in
technology since 1976’ [photograph]

3. In the 70s and 80s prior to the release of new technology, it was rare
to find computers outside of a library or research facility. Nowadays
it’s hard to imagine a life without the internet, with 5.5 billion google
searches made each day.
(Ardor SEO 2019)
INTRODUCTION
Fig. 2 Rick, T. (2015) ‘The relentless
evolution of technology’ [Image]

4. The internet is a constantly expanding media, with approximately 640,000
new users per day (Roser, Ritchie, Ortiz-Ospina 2019).
We have become dependent on online resources- information, pictures and
videos, with high percentages of people having access to the internet across
the globe. 98% of people in Iceland and 97% of people in Japan can gain
online access everyday (Roser, Ritchie, Ortiz-Ospina 2019). Figure 3 (Kemp,
S. 2019) shows how these figures have developed since 2014.
ACCESS TO THE INTERNET
Fig. 3 Kemp, S. 2019
‘Internet users over time’
[Photograph]

5. Starting with large, stationary computers in the 70s, technology has
become more portable and accessible over the decades. As of 2019,
over 5.15 billion people own a mobile phone, which equates to nearly
67% of the global population (Turner, A. 2019). It is thought that
nearly half of this figure are smartphones, which allow access to the
internet at any given time or place (Silver, L. 2019).
DIGITAL DEVICES

6. Figure 4 (Booton, J. 2016) shows how due to the convenience of hand-
held devices, the number of personal PCs has steadily declined during
the 2000s (Booton, J. 2016).
DIGITAL DEVICES
Fig. 4 Booton, J. 2016 ‘How smartphones killed the PC’ [Image]

7. Figure 5 (Mangles, C. 2018) demonstrates the popularity of the
Search Engine Google against its market competitors. With as many
as 1.2 trillion Google searches made each year (Mohr, C.N. 2017), we
are able to separate each search into one of three categories-
transactional, navigational and informational. An estimate suggests
that informational queries (an answer to a question) compose 80% of
Google searches, with navigational (visiting a certain page) and
transactional (with the motive of purchasing) composing 10% each
(Miller, M. date n.d.).
HOW PEOPLE SEARCH ONLINE
Fig.5
Mangles, C.
2018 ‘Who
has the
biggest
search
engine
market
share
worldwide?’
[Graph]

8. Figure 6 (Author n.d. 2018)
demonstrates the popularity of
the internet for purchasing
luxury items such as clothes
and sports equipment,
particularly in the age group
16-24. Amongst the more
elderly people, medicines and
holidays have become a more
popular online search.
WHAT CUSTOMERS BUY ONLINE
Fig. 6 Author n.d. 2018 ‘Online purchases, EU28, 2018 (% of
individuals who bought or ordered goods or services over the
internet for private use in the previous 12 months)’ [Graph]

9. Figure 7 (Author n.d. 2017) shows the figures for video consumption
across all devices in the USA as of 2017.
The following link shows the speed of YouTube’s expansion, with a real
time view and ‘hours watched’ counter. https://everysecond.io/youtube
VIDEO CONSUMPTION ONLINE
Fig. 7 Author n.d. 2017 ‘Frequency of watching online video’
[Image]

10. Fig. 8 Kemp, S. 2019 ‘Change in Active Users by Social Platform’ [Image]
This figure (Kemp, S. 2019) shows the increase in social media
users in the quarter preceding January 2019. This demonstrates
the increased influence of technology in society.
CONSUMER TRENDS

11. Fig. 9 Kemp, S. 2019 ‘Annual Digital Growth’ [Image ]
The image above (Kemp, S. 2019) shows the average growth in the
technology industry each year.
CONSUMER TRENDS

12. Fig. 10 Kemp, S. 2019 ‘Evolution of Mobile Data Consumption’ [Image]
Figure 10 displays the quarterly statistics of mobile data consumption
over 5 years. This represents the increased influence of technology
since 2013.
CONSUMER TRENDS

13. Based on technology’s current trajectory, it is reasonable to suggest that
new devices will only become more popular in the next years and decades.
Sales of up-and-coming products such as Virtual Reality and Augmented
Reality are likely to increase, while desktops and PCs will become less
common.
OVERVIEW

14. More countries gaining access to mobile data and WIFI suggests that
technology will continue to expand into countries which have
previously had limited access to such mediums, for example African
countries and remote parts of Asia and Southern America.
Overall, technology will undoubtedly continue to massively impact the
life of a consumer until we are inevitably completely dependent upon
it.
OVERVIEW

15. Author n.d. (2019) ‘How many Google searches per day on average in 2019 ?’ In Ardor SEO
[online] Available from https://ardorseo.com/blog/how -many-google-searches-per-day-
2019/ [Viewed on 17/12/2019]
Author n.d. (2016) ‘Technology is rapidly changing’ In Dan’s Dominion [Online ] Available
from https://sites.psu.edu/cas283blog/2016/01/22/technology -is-rapidly-changing/
[Viewed 17/12/2019]
Simon Kemp (2019) ‘Internet users over time’ Datareportal [Online] Available from
https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2019-global-digital-overview [Viewed
18/12/2019]
Ash Turner (2019) ‘HOW MANY PHONES ARE IN THE WORLD? 1 BILLION MORE MOBILE
CONNECTIONS THAN PEOPLE WORLDWIDE’ Bank my Cell. Com [Online] Available from
https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/how -many-phones-are-in-the-world [Viewed
18/12/2019]
Laura Silver (2019) ‘Smartphone Ownership Is Growing Rapidly Around the World, but Not
Always Equally’ Pew Research Center [Online] Available from
https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2019/02/05/smartphone -ownership-is-growing-
rapidly-around-the-world-but-not-always-equally/ [Viewed 18/12/2019]
Author n.d. (2018) ‘Online purchases, EU28, 2018 (%of individuals who bought or ordered
goods or services over the internet for private use in the previous 12 months)’ Eurostat
[Online] Available from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/E-
commerce_statistics_for_individuals [Viewed 18/12/2019]
Carolanne Mangles(2018) ‘Who has the biggest search engine market share worldwide?’
Smart insights [Online] Available from https://www.smartinsights.com/search-engine-
marketing/search-engine-statistics/ [Viewed 18/12/2019]
REFERENCE LIST:

16. Carolyn Nicander Mohr (2017) ‘The Most-Searched Terms on Google in 2016’ VOA
Learning English [Online] Available from
https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/google -trends-2016-review/3661745.html
[Viewed 18/12/2019]
Marcus Miller (date n.d.) ‘Understanding How People Search The Web’ Bowler Hat
[Online] Available from https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/understanding -how-people-
search-the-web [Viewed 18/12/2019]
Author n.d. (2017) ‘Frequency of Watching Online Video’ TLK Fusion [Online] Available
from https://tlkfusion.com/video-will-impact-digital-marketing-2017/ [Viewed
18/12/2019]
Torben Rick (2015) ‘The Relentless Evolution of Technology’ Meliorate [Online]
Available from https://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/technology/the -relentless-evolution-
of-technology/ [Viewed 18/12/2019]
Author n.d. (2019) ‘YouTube- every second’ Every Second [Online] Available from
https://everysecond.io/youtube [Viewed 18/12/2019]
REFERENCE LIST: