2. Introduction
The introduction of the internet and the relentless pace in the development of technology
has truly changed our world.
We have said goodbye to outdated products like typewriters, audio cassettes, discmans
and black berries - and have welcomed smart devices, virtual reality, edge computing, 5G
and AI (artificial intelligence) into our lives.
These kinds of technology have changed the way we live our day to day lives, and with
the introduction of the internet, we now have the ability to be more connected than ever.
This kind of connection has affected the way we work, travel, communicate and play. The
internet has also allowed easy access to any kind of information at our fingertips 24/7.
So.. how exactly has all of this impacted our lives - and to what extent?
Let's take a look shall we?
3. What exactly is the internet?
In essence, the internet is a global
network that connects billions of
computers and electrical devices.
When connected to the internet, it
allows the user to access the World
Wide Web, which is a collection of
different websites.
The user then has the ability to
research and access a vast range
of information, in addition to well
as having the ability to
communicate with anyone else in
the world who is online.
4. Access to the Internet
It all started in 1960, where the internet
started out on big clunky computers as
a way for government researches to
share information. By the 1990’s it had
become a global commercial network.
Latest statistics tell us that as of
January 2021 (in just 61 years) there
were 4.66 billion active internet users
worldwide, which equates to 59.5% of
the entire global population.
However, not everyone has access to
the internet, mainly due to political
repression or connectivity issues.
Image source - Statistica 2020
5. Speed of the internet
Do you remember the old ‘dial up’ days? The
beeping and the waiting… and more waiting?
Well those days are gone - at least for most
us.
For fixed broadband speeds, current data
shows Singapore is leading the world with an
average connection speed of 245.50 MB/S.
As at April 2020, Australia’s broadband
internet speed ranks 56 out of 100 countries
on the global chart with an average speed of
77.88 MB/S.
Image source - Throwbacks 2017
6. Digital Devices used by Audiences
People can access the internet via a
selection of digital devices. A list of the
most popular devices are below:
● Mobile Phone
● Desktop Computer
● Tablet
● Smart TV
● Game console
● Smart Watches
● Home Appliances
● Smart Speaker Image source -
HubSpot 2021
7. How customers search for information
When accessing the internet customers can
use a range of options to find the
information they are looking for. Generally
this is accessed via a tool on a digital
device called a ‘search engine’.
Google currently dominates the search
engine market (92% as at Feb 2021)
however this is not the only channel
customers can use. Social media channels
are trending in regards to searching via
hashtags rather then key words.
Image source -
LifeWire 2020
8. What Consumers Buy Online
The chart to the right shows the categories
of products that Australians purchased
online in 2019 with clothing being the
highest percentage.
However, due to COVID in 2020 and people
in lockdown, consumer behaviour changed
and online sales peaked with the average
online sale increasing by one million
households every month in comparison to
2019. (Auspost).
Food, liquor, home and garden purchases
more than doubled compared to 2019.
9. Online Video Consumption
Consumer interest in watching video has
been around since the first black and white
televisions were invented.
However, now that mobile video content is
available at our finger tips 24/7 -
consumption has increased substantially.
Consumers use online video to watch
music clips, TV shows, “how to videos”,
gaming celebrities, beauty vloggers,
humour videos, interviews, live news
streaming and even children have been
targeted with ‘YouTube Kids Channel’.
10. Data from 2019 from indicates
that people spend an average of
6 hours and 48 minutes per
week watching online videos.
So what are people watching?
This graph from Statista shows
the most popular categories in
the US from 2017, with the 3 top
being Comedy, Music and How
to videos.
The most popular video hosting
channel is YouTube with 2
billion logged in monthly users.
Other popular online video
platforms include Facebook and
Tik Tok.
11. This chart shows what happens
online in 60 seconds (smart
insights 2020).
Social media has become an
addictive channel for the
majority of the online population.
It has insinuated itself into
politics, business, the workplace
and personal lives, becoming a
fundamental way that people get
information, purchase goods
and connect with each other.
12. This graph breaks down
the age groups of what
types of online content
each sector is watching.
Unsurprisenly, video
content is watched the
most by millennials as this
age group have are more
connected and familiar to
both the internet and
technology in comparison
to older age groups.
13. Consumer Trends
The period between 2010 - 2020 saw a change of phenomenal innovation, led
largely by the transition to mobile and the rise of data, which accelerated the
growth of AI, e-commerce, social media, and biotechnology.
The way we lead our day to day lives continues to change and evolve with each
new step of technology that becomes available. In addition to this, unforeseen
circumstances such as the 2020 worldwide pandemic (COVID19) has also seen a
change in consumer behaviour in order to adapt to the new circumstances.
Never before has the internet and connectivity become so
important as it did throughout this period.
14. Now people look and do
so much more online than
ever before. Whether it be
sending a sms, checking
emails or social media
feeds, looking up
information, watching our
favourite TV show, making
reservations, zooming into
a work meeting or
facetiming a loved one,
shopping online.
The chart on the right
shows the most popular
activities that adults do on
the internet.
Source Statista 2020
15. Summary
The introduction of the internet and creation of new tech devices has changed the way we live our everyday
lives.
We can access any kind of information, at our fingertips, any time of the day or night. We can connect with
loved ones, immerse in a VR world, ask Google for directions, move our money online, meet new people, send
emails and texts, drive our electric car, watch funny videos and “zoom in” to an online meeting.
And these are just a few examples.
As time goes on, new tech will continue to change the way we live. Advancements are already in the pipeline
for wearable devices, machine learning, cryptocurrency, driverless cars, genomics and 5G.
It will be a very interesting to see how humans adapt to these new advancements and the changes in society
that will follow.
You can view this presentation on SlideShare, as well reading my blog
or watch on YouTube.
16. Sources
How has technology changed us (World Economic Forum Nov 2020)
A brief history of the internet (Online Learning Library
Internet Evolution - A Timeline History (The Reboot 2020)
The History of the internet (Wikipedia)
Numbers of Internet Users by Country (Our World Data 1990 - 2017)
How Consumers Use Technology (Sylvie Kaszowski 2019)
Global Digital Population (Statista April 2021)
What is the internet (GFC Global)
How many website are there in the world (Sitefy Feb 2021)
How people use the internet in 2020 (Broadband Search 2020)
Changes in technology (Digital Technology Hub)
List of obsolete technology (Wikipedia 2021)
Top 9 New Technology Trends (SimpliLearn 2021)
10 Countries with fast internet (Nomad Capitalist 2021)
Australia’s average internet speed (Pentanet 2021)
List of Countries by internet speed (wikipedia 2020)
Popular Digital Devices (Marketing Dive 2017)
Statcounter (Global Stats May 2021)
Which types of devices access the internet? (Device Atlas 2015)
The Top 7 Search Engines (HubSpot 2018)
How People Search (SEJ March 2021)
What Australian buy online (Internet Retailing 2017)
The Most Popular Items Bought
Onine in Australia (Statista 2019)
17. Sources
Inside Australian Online Shopping (Auspost 2021)
The State of online video 2020 (Forbes 2020)
What is online video (PC Mag Encyclopedia)
How video consumption is changing in 2021 (HubSpot 2021)
What are people watching in 2019? (Octoloy April 2019)
Age Matters in online consumption (Statista 2013)
Mobile Devices and Online Video (Dazeinfo 2014)
A decade of change (Global X)
20 ways technology has changed us (Wallsteer Journal Oct 2020)
Most popular activities online (Statista 2019)
How life is totally different Now than it was 20 years ago (Active
Times 2019)
How Technology is changing our lives (Innovation & Tech Today Jan
2021)
The next big things in technology (ZME Science 2020)
What happens online in 60 seconds (Smart Insights June 2020)
The impact of social media (Wharton University July 2019)
24 Noteworthy Video Consumption Statistics (Techjury May 2021)
75 staggering Video Marketing Statistics (Wordstream May 2021)
Most popular online video categories in the US (Statista 2017)
List of online video platforms (Wikipedia )
25 YouTube Stats that May Surprise You (Hootsuite 2021)
Social Media Statistics Australia
(Social Media News May 2021)
