Five amazing facts about the Internet: what is useful to know

The Internet has revolutionized the way we get information, communicate with other people, and make online purchases. SSPDaily has prepared five facts about its rapid growth and the dominance of social media platforms.

Incredible growth in the number of users

By 2023, the number of Internet users will exceed 5.1 billion people, constituting about 64.4% of the world's population. This tremendous growth is truly impressive compared to the fact that in 1995, global connectivity was only 1%. In almost three decades, the number of Internet users has grown dramatically: the first billion was reached in 2005, the second billion in 2010, and the third billion in 2015.

The dominance of mobile devices

Mobile devices play a key role in the Internet experience, with nearly 60% of Internet users using mobile phones. With 92% of Internet users accessing the web via mobile devices, there are an estimated 4.32 billion active mobile Internet users. This proliferation is being driven by the growing presence of medical devices, smartwatches, smart thermostats, and 3D printers.

Huge web traffic

The volume of web traffic has reached an unprecedented level. For example, in 2020, it amounted to 3 zettabytes, and it is growing rapidly. A zettabyte equals a staggering 3 trillion gigabytes. In terms of usage, this is equivalent to every person on the planet consuming 1 gigabyte of internet traffic every day or 32 gigabytes per month. This huge volume is comparable to 325 million families if they were to watch Netflix non-stop.

The dominance of social media

Social media platforms undoubtedly dominate the online landscape: 92% of internet users use social media on a monthly basis. Surprisingly, in 2022, about 375,000 new users joined social media platforms every day. While Google remains the dominant search engine, the younger generation is increasingly relying on social platforms such as TikTok for information.

The e-commerce revolution

Online shopping has become commonplace, with more than 50% of internet users buying from e-commerce every week. This shift in consumer behavior is evidenced by the fact that during the global pandemic, online purchases of consumer goods reached a staggering $3.6 trillion in 2022. The ease of setting up e-commerce stores, coupled with easy integration with social media platforms, has made online shopping more active and hassle-free.