How people use technology and its impact on their lives
By L M Erazo
The impact of the internet
In our personal as well as professional/business life, the internet has become indispensable. It is used to accomplish numerous tasks in our day to day lives. It is that infrastructure that lets us order the weekly shop, share our life on Facebook, stream Outcast on Netflix, email our family or friends that live abroad and search the web for the information we need. Internet has been impacting our lives in three different ways: how we learn, work and live.
(The Guardian, 2018).
How we learn
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How we work
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How we live
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How people use technology
Consumers can access information within seconds on an increasing array of devices. Also, consumers' digital habits are changing faster than ever. By 2020, it’s estimated that for every person on earth, 1.7 MB of data will be created… every second. The graphic shows how people use the internet every minute of the day. (Visualcapitalist, 2019)
Fig.1 Lewis, L. (2019) This is what is happening in 2019 internet minute
Access to the internet
The Office for National Statistics (ONS, 2019) shown that there has broadly been growth in the percentage of adults who perform internet activities. Of all households in the UK, 93% had access to the internet in 2019, while almost all adults aged 16 to 44 years used the internet daily or almost every day (99%). While household internet access has risen over the last decade, it has been leveling off in recent years. (Office for National Statistics, 2019)
Household internet access, UK and Great Britain, 1998 to 2019.
Figure 2. Office for National Statistics. 2019. Internet access – households and individuals
Most common internet activities
According to the Office for National Statistics, these are the most common
activities on the internet in the UK. (Office for National Statistics, 2019)
The E-mail was used by 86% of adults in 2019, more than any other internet activity
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Other widely used activities included finding information about goods or services (78%)
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Internet banking (73%) and use of instant messaging services such as Skype and WhatsApp (72%)
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Digital devices used by Audiences
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) estimated half of the world population being online by May 2019. (Economist, 2019) These are the most common important devices people use to connect to the internet, at home or elsewhere. (Statista, 2019)
Figure 3. Statista. (2019) Electronic device usage in the UK in 2017.
Online Channels people use to search for information
The 2019 share market share indicates which search engine people use to search for information or buying. Here are the most popular search engines with Google, Bandu and Bing as the most popular. Berry highlight that “Google’s domination of the search engine market is unprecedented, resulting in claims that the company maintains a monopoly on search’ (Webfx, 2019)
Figure 4. The 10 top search engines people use.
The 6 best-selling products on the Internet
An estimated 1.8 billion people worldwide purchase goods online (Statista, 2018). Differents industries had adapted very well to the online retail disruption. Here is a list of the most sold products online. (Doofinder, n.d.)
Fashion Items are the leading product category worldwide. Global internet users had purchased clothes through the internet.
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The Tourism and Trips industry has adapted very well to the online disruption. We can organize our own trips from home with a computer and a few clicks.
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Surprisingly, the Tech Products aren’t the #1 seller. One the main reason is the customer’s lack of guarantee
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Second-Hand Sales remains one of the top sellers online also. People can find a product being sold for half the price and in great condition that cannot be matched in almost any physical shop.
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Books and music albums are still among the most sold products because of platforms such as iTunes, Spotify, or Amazon and its Kindle
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Educational Courses as e-learning is becoming more popular. Users are no longer afraid of learning without getting a degree or certificate.
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Online video consumption
Statistics continue to see trends favoring video on smartphones than TV. Amy, He describes that the average US adult spent 3 hours, 43 minutes on mobile devices in 2019, just above the 3 hours 35 minutes spent on TV. Consumers consistently spent their time using apps over web browsers. An average person spent 2 hours 57 minutes in apps vs. only 26 minutes on a mobile browser. (eMarketer, 2019)
Figure 5. eMarketer, 2019. US Adults Are Spending More Time on Mobile Than
They Do Watching TV.
10 Consumer Trends in 2020
As we started a new year and a new decade, the pace of innovation and technology adoption has never been higher. The use of technology has been changing consumer attitudes and interests in a disruptive way. There are ten areas where consumer preferences are shifting and evolving in 2020 that will drive big opportunities for innovation in the following years (Forbes, 2020):
Family and home productivity: Families need services to help manage their lives at home as seamlessly as they manage projects at work. They will be a proliferation of software tools in this niche.
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Next-generation meat for meat-eaters: There will be more awareness about what we eat and the impact that has on our health and the environment. Statistics shows
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Personalized healthcare: Though there have been some changes in the healthcare industry there is still a long way to go. However, consumers expect in the near future for the ability to text doctors and nurses for triage, access to more medical care through telemedicine (especially mental health), and more options to pay for care
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Autonomous vehicles: The time is closer when everyday consumers will ride in and gain comfort with autonomous vehicles. Several companies are actively pursuing that goal.
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Mindfulness culture: People are prioritizing self-care and mental wellness, and millennials generations are pursuing careers that fulfill their passions and provide work/life balance. As a result, hundreds of Apps Store emerged in this industry.
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Changes in higher education and employment: Improvements in technology and Artificial Intelligence are creating a large room for different forms of education and new models of jobs.
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Consumer privacy: Sceptical consumers are becoming more conscious of their privacy. Because of the lack of trust in the government and existing big tech companies, new companies can emerge to fill the need for gaining consumer trust for the ethical treatment of data and privacy.
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Sharing digital experiences live: Consumers are seeking new ways to engage with one another while using technology. Social media allows consumers to share their digital experiences whether it is streaming a movie or social shopping. With the arrival of 5G, we will be possible to do even more on smartphones.
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Cross-generation techies: The baby boomer’s generation is going to retire in the coming years. This will open to new opportunities to address the needs and wants of consumers in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. As they have unique needs and interests.
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Improving financial literacy: The younger generations think differently about homeownership, saving money, investing, and what they spend money on and how to pay for it. These shifts opened a big room for new financial solutions. As a result, several startups have already launched to disrupt the traditional finance industries.
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Summary
In a short amount of time, technological innovations have become an important part of our everyday lives transforming the way we live, work, and communicate. From wireless internet to social networking, to innovative software for thriving home life, to new models for education, technology is bringing big opportunities to serve consumers and satisfy their demands. Consumers not only can buy or sell products/services but also technology has been presenting unprecedented opportunities for innovators and startups. One thing is sure, nobody knows how the internet can be used in the future.
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