The document traces the evolution of the internet from its origins in the 1960s as a small network connecting researchers to its current state, where over 4 billion people worldwide have access and 26.66 billion devices are connected. Key developments included linking networks together, the creation of email, the invention of HTML allowing for the world wide web, and the advent of wireless technologies enabling mobile internet access. These advances have revolutionized how people live, work, learn and connect globally on a daily basis.

1. THE EVOLUTION OF THE
INTERNET
‘How consumers use technology and its impact
on their lives’
S t u d e n t N u m b e r : 7 6 7 4 3 9 2 1

2. INTRODUCTION
A T I M E L I N E O F T H E I N T E R N E T
THE IDEA
FOR A GLOBAL
COMPUTER NETWORK
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
LINKING
NETWORKS TOGETHER
EMAIL
COMMUNICATION
WORLD WIDE
HTLM
THE WORLD WIDE
WEB IS BORN
WIFI
ALLOWS FOR MOBILE
INTERNET DEVICES
T h e g e n e r a l p u b l i c f i r s t b e g a n a c c e s s i n g t h e i n t e r n e t b e t w e e n t h e 1 9 8 0 s – 2 0 0 0 s w h e n
d e v e l o p m e n t s i n t e c h n o l o g y m e a n t a d e c r e a s e i n t h e p r i c e o f o w n i n g a n d r u n n i n g y o u r
o w n c o m p u t e r.
S t a t i c s s h o w t h a t t h e r e a r e n o w o v e r 4 . 3 9 b i l l i o n i n t e r n e t u s e r w o r l d w i d e .

3. ACCESS TO THE INTERNET
0.4% 5.0% 28.7% 56.8%
1995 2000 2010 2019
P E R C E N TA G E O F G LO B A L I N T E R N E T U S E R S
t h e a v e r a g e i n t e r n e t u s e r n o w s p e n d s a r o u n d 6 h o u r s e a c h d a y
u s i n g i n t e r n e t - p o w e r e d d e v i c e s a n d s e r v i c e s
- G l o b a l W e b I n d e x

4. 2 6 . 6 6 B i l l i o n d e v i c e s a r e
c o n n e c t e d t o t h e i n t e r n e t
( 2 0 1 9 )
DEVICES CONNECTED TO THE INTERENT
S M A R T P H O N E S
G A M E C O N S O L E S
S M A R T W ATC H E S
TA B L E T S
S M A R T A P P L I A N C E S
S M A R T T V S
L A P TO P S
D I G I TA L C A M E R A S
C O N N E C T E D V E H I C L E S

5. INTERNET DEVICES USED BY AUDIENCES
T h e u s e a n d d e v e l o p m e n t o f i n t e r n e t c o n n e c t e d d e v i c e s d e v e l o p s t h e n e e d f o r b e t t e r,
f a s t e r a n d m o r e s w i f t c o n n e c t i o n s p e e d s . D e v e l o p m e n t s i n t e c h n o l o g y s u c h a s 4 G a n d
i m p r o v e d f i x e d l i n e b r o a d b a n d , a l l o w t h e u s e r i n s t a n t i n t e r n e t a c c e s s a t t h e c l i c k o f a
b u t t o n .
M O B I L E
P H O N E S
52%
L A P TO P S &
D E S K TO P S
43%
TA B L E T
D E V I C E S
4%
G A M I N G
D E V I C E S
0.14%
P E R C E N TA G E O F W E B T R A F F I C

6. H O L I D A Y S E L E C T R O N I C SF A S H I O N
WHAT CONSUMERS BUY ONLINE
Re s e a rc h i n d i c a t e s t h a t i n 2 0 1 7 , re t a i l e c o m m e rc e s a l e s
w i l l t o p o v e r $ 2 . 5 t r i l l i o n
T O P 3 B E S T S E L L E R S

7. EVERY MINUTE ON THE INTERNET…
2.8
Million
social Media
Posts
2.5
Million
Website
searches
27.2
Thousand
Review
posts
201
Million
Emails sent
100
Hours of
online videos
57
Thousand
Picture
posts
50.7
Thousand
thoughts
posts

8. HOW PEOPLE USE THE INTERNET
G o o g l e s e a r c h
e n g i n e h a n d l e s
5.5 Billion
s e a r c h e s p e r d a y
b y i n t e r n e t u s e r s
R E S E A R C H S H O P P I N G E N T E R T A I N M E N T S O C I A L
51%
O f U K c o n s u m e r s
p r e f e r t o s h o p
o n l i n e t h a n i n -
s t o r e
N e t f l i x u s e r s
c o l l e c t i v e l y w a t c h
1 billion
h o u r s o f c o n t e n t
p e r w e e k
F a c e b o o k i s
c u r r e n t l y t h e
s o c i a l m e d i a
l e a d e r W i t h
1.86 billion
m o n t h l y u s e r s

9. HOW CUSTOMERS SEARCH FOR INFORMATION
of online shoppers refer to at
least one social media site
for recommendations before
shopping online
84%
17% 18% 22% 26%
77%

10. o f o n l i n e s e a r c h e s
a r e m a d e t h r o u g h
G o o g l e s e a r c h
e n g i n e s
90.8%
SEARCH ENGINE SHARES
i n c . g o o g l e s e a r c h
p l a t f o r m s

11. ONLINE VIDEO CONSUMPTION
M u s i c h a s a l s o b e e n
r e v o l u t i o n i s e d b y
s t r e a m i n g s e r v i c e s l i k e
S p o t i f y a n d A p p l e M u s i c .
G l o b a l b r o a d b a n d s p e e d s a r e
a l s o p o i s e d t o n e a r l y d o u b l e
f r o m 2 4 . 7 M b p s i n 2 0 1 5 t o
4 7 . 7 M b p s b y 2 0 2 0
- C i s c o
C o n s u m e r v i d e o t r a f f i c w i l l r i s e t o 8 2 % o f a l l c o n s u m e r
I n t e r n e t t r a f f i c b y 2 0 2 0 , u p f r o m 6 8 % i n 2 0 1 5 - C i s c o
S t r e a m i n g s e r v i c e s l i k e
N e t f l i x a n d Yo u Tu b e h a v e
r e v o l u t i o n i s e d t h e T V a n d
f i l m i n d u s t r i e s .

12. CONSUMER TRENDS
C o n s u m e r s u s e
p r i c e c o m p a r i s o n
w e b s i t e s a n d s o c i a l
m e d i a t o i n f l u e n c e
b u y i n g d e c i s i o n s
D i g i t a l c o n s u m e r s c o n n e c t t o t h e i n t e r n e t t o s a t i s f y f o u r n e e d s : e x p l o r a t i o n , i n t e r p e r s o n a l
c o n n e c t i o n , s e l f - e x p r e s s i o n a n d c o n v e n i e n c e
( S e t h u p a t h i , 2 0 1 4 ) .
C o n s u m e r s c a n n o w
b u y & s e l l t o e a c h
o t h e r o n l i n e u s i n g
e c o m m e r c e
p l a t f o r m s
G o o d s a n d
s e r v i c e s a r e
a v a i l a b l e t o
p u r c h a s e o n t h e
g o , a t a n y t i m e o f
d a y
C o n s u m e r s a r e
o p t i n g t o s t r e a m
f i l m s & m u s i c
r a t h e r t h e n
p u r c h a s e h a r d
c o p i e s

13. SUMMARY
D e v e l o p m e n t s i n t e c h n o l o g y h a v e r e v o l u t i o n i s e d t h e w a y w e l i v e o u r
l i v e s . I n t e r n e t c o n n e c t e d d e v i c e s a r e i n o u r h o m e s , a t o u r p l a c e s o f
w o r k a n d e v e n i n o u r p o c k e t s ! T h e g r o w t h o f t h e i n t e r n e t h a s
a l l o w e d u s t o a c q u i r e k n o w l e d g e , s k i l l s a n d c o n n e c t i v i t y o n a g l o b a l
s c a l e . T h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f w i r e l e s s c o m m u n i c a t i o n h a s m e a n t w e a r e
n o l o n g e r c o n s t r a i n e d t o w h e r e w e c a n w o r k , s h o p , l e a r n a n d
c o n n e c t w i t h o t h e r p e o p l e .

14. h t t p s : / / o n l i n e . j e f f e r s o n . e d u / c o m m u n i c a t i o n s / i n t e r n e t - h i s t o r y - t i m e l i n e /
REFERENCE LIST
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h t t p s : / / w w w. s o c i a l 4 r e t a i l . c o m / h o w - p e o p l e - s e a r c h - t h e - i n t e r n e t - 2 0 1 8 - i n f o g r a p h i c . h t m l #
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4 0 5 4 5 4