According to the latest Pew survey, today’s Internet users are not only a savvy bunch, they’re not just kids.
Seriously, that’s the biggest stereotype we run up against on a daily basis, so when we get a chance to share stats like this, it’s one of our very favorite things.
No surprise — times, they are a’changing. According to Pew’s research, Millennial surfers (ages 18-33) are more likely to surf the web using mobile devices and engage in activities like social networking, gaming, listening to music, instant messaging incessantly and reading blogs.
And, as people get older, they logically trend toward a dose of information and activities that make their lives easier, in addition to the entertainment element of the Web. Pew’s research supports this by reporting that Gen-X users (ages 35-45) (read that “not kids”) are more likely than their younger counterparts to seek out news and information, search government sites and get their financial information (and, in my case, do online banking and pay my mortgage) online.
Some Major Changes In Web Habits
- Searching the Internet for health information is now the third most popular online activity for all Internet users, ages 18 and up.
- Growth of Internet usage among those 74 and over has quadrupled since 2008 (my 73 year-old mother-in-law is proof of this – she’s online daily!)
- Consumption of online video is up to 66%, an increase from 52% in 2008 (and this will, undoubtedly, continue to rise).
The Web – For Every One, Every Day
Most importantly, the Internet and using the Web as a part of everyday life isn’t just for one age group – it spans many. Pew’s research indicates there are an increasingly growing number of everyday Internet activities that are common among all age groups. These things include things like:
- Search Engine Use
- Searching for Health Information
- Getting News
- Buying Products
- Rating Products, Services or People
- Doing Online Banking
- Making Travel Reservations or Purchases
There’s much more info in the Pew study, so be sure and check it out. And, if you’re a visual geek like me, here’s a handy dandy chart:
Bottom line – our society is using the Internet to find and consume a wide variety of information. We use it to communicate – via email, social networking, podcasting, etc. We use the Web to get things done (pay bills, schedule appointments, get directions, book travel). And we use the Web for a majority of the information we need – whether it’s about products, services, destinations or health information.
So as you consider whatever it is that you do for a living, whether you work for someone else or have your own business, make sure your marketing strategies take into consideration the Web – and what people want, need and do online. And if you’re really smart, you’ll put mobile strategies at the top of your to-do list. But that, my friends, is another post.
Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years’ experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging develoment, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly’s coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”
