The 2010s saw internet use increasing dramatically, but in spite of the fact that this is the case the final two years of the decade saw this metric dipping somewhat. The covid pandemic then created a surge in internet usage since people were stuck at home without all that much to do, and this surge made some believe that these numbers were going to skyrocket in the coming years and reverse the downward trend that many were fearing for the 2020s.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that internet usage hit a plateau last year, reaching 6 hours and fifty six minutes on average and it is now starting to dip back down to pre pandemic levels. Time spent online now sits at an average of 6 hours and 43 minutes with all things having been considered and taken into account, and that suggests that people are not spending as much time online as they used to.
Over the past four years, the number of people who turn to the internet to obtain information has dipped by about 14%. Social media algorithms have a role to play here because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up giving people information before they think to search for it.
Overall, most users are turning away from the internet and using it less than might have been the case otherwise. This seems to suggest that internet usage will continue to dip until it reaches a level of stable equilibrium, although it will be interesting to see if anything manages to turn the trend upwards yet again.
One thing to note here is that online gaming is continuing to rise, but less dedicated browsing activity is forming an increasingly small portion of the day of the average user. We are now back at 2017 levels of internet usage, and the downward trend does not seem to be showing any signs of slowing down which indicates that even lower levels might be seen in the coming years.
H/T: Global Web Index.
Read next: Americans Now Spend Most of Their Lives Alone According to New Report
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that internet usage hit a plateau last year, reaching 6 hours and fifty six minutes on average and it is now starting to dip back down to pre pandemic levels. Time spent online now sits at an average of 6 hours and 43 minutes with all things having been considered and taken into account, and that suggests that people are not spending as much time online as they used to.
Over the past four years, the number of people who turn to the internet to obtain information has dipped by about 14%. Social media algorithms have a role to play here because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up giving people information before they think to search for it.
Overall, most users are turning away from the internet and using it less than might have been the case otherwise. This seems to suggest that internet usage will continue to dip until it reaches a level of stable equilibrium, although it will be interesting to see if anything manages to turn the trend upwards yet again.
One thing to note here is that online gaming is continuing to rise, but less dedicated browsing activity is forming an increasingly small portion of the day of the average user. We are now back at 2017 levels of internet usage, and the downward trend does not seem to be showing any signs of slowing down which indicates that even lower levels might be seen in the coming years.
H/T: Global Web Index.
Read next: Americans Now Spend Most of Their Lives Alone According to New Report
