In the age of smartphones, the internet dominates our lives. From shopping to banking and entertainment to work functions–they’re all online these days. 4.5 billion people–or 59%–of the global population, used the internet today and this number is set to grow. To put the numbers into perspective, there were only 1.7 billion internet users in 2012 when these figures were first published.
This infographic of where the activity occurs is published every year. It shows minute by minute transactions in the biggest internet sectors.
Some of the companies appearing on the wheel have become some of the biggest global names in social media: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc. The fastest-growing areas of use are unsurprisingly in the areas of eCommerce. Online shopping has been growing for years but the pandemic has driven even faster growth, with shoppers now spending an astonishing one million dollars per minute. This includes people buying everything from clothes and household supplies via Amazon to breakfast, lunch, and dinner via Uber Eats. All that must be paid for, so cash transfers have also grown, trending the shares of fintech companies upward.
Then, of course, there are collaboration platforms like Microsoft teams and Zoom, which allow us to keep in touch while staying at home or collaborate with offices located in other cities without traveling.