It wasn’t too long ago that the internet was only used in as many as half of all households. That is a foreign concept to today’s modern adult. In fact, over 47 percent of the world’s population have access to the internet and Europe is the highest user, according to a study by International Telecommunications Union (ITU). It’s such a powerful part of our daily activities that at times it could seem to take over our life. From less attention span to wanting everything now, the internet has impacted everything from our connectivity with others to daily productivity.
The Digital Attention Span
At one point in time, with the emergence of a dial-up connection, it wasn’t uncommon to have to wait up to thirty minutes or more for a five-minute video to completely load up and play on your computer. Nowadays, with the widespread use of broadband and 4G for your phone and computer, such speeds are unheard of.
In fact, if you’re waiting around for a ten or twenty-minute video to take longer than a minute or two to completely load up, it’s more likely now that you’ll lose interest and find something else to watch. This might seem like a bit of an exaggeration to some but for most internet viewers, speed means quality and our attention spans have undoubtedly been affected by this way of thinking.
Expectation of Technological Improvements
We’re always looking for the bigger and better device to come out each year. Actually, scratch that, it’s more about how small the devices will get with as much processing power and speed as possible. Even so, the next advancement in technology is always on our minds. For those of us who keep up on current digital trends, we know the difference between one iPhone released to the next, no matter what anyone else says on the matter.
While we may have our preference of companies in mind and turn our noses up at the thought of switching to another company, our loyalties are always tested with the release of the newest device, gadget, and innovative way to integrate the internet into something as unscrupulous as a microwave oven.
Staying Connected
There is a widespread concentration on keeping connected via the internet. It’s been said many times before and will continue to be said again and again but no one can deny that we’re living in the digital age. Our web presence tells almost as much about us as a conversation in person might. Personal and professional profiles on social media pages dedicated to our likes and dislikes serve as a sort of autobiography to our life. Therein lies a collection of all of our friends and colleagues, who we can stay connected with at all times.
People are just as likely to send a private message with their social media accounts than they are texting via their phone. Some even use such methods of communication as a full-on replacement of texting from phone number to phone number.
News is Never Hard to Come By
Speaking of social media accounts, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a single feed that isn’t fraught with the newest update in the news. Whether it’s local news or not, we’re in an age of constant streams of information being thrown at us from every side of the political spectrum. Most news sites have subscription services set up for their followers to get updates on the most recent going-ons around the world. The news is often tailor-made for your individual preferences unless you’re actively seeking out news sources from every point of view available.
Apps for Productivity
Our productivity is through the roof as human beings, with apps being generated every day that help with some aspect of our lives. You could be aiming to lose weight by counting your calories and daily exercise time and sure enough, there are hundreds of apps to choose from for that. Everything from our budgeting to our scheduling can be worked out with one or more applications found at the app marketplace of our choosing.
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