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A team of internet and tech enthusiasts, who are deeply interested in how internet usage shapes people’s lives, also enjoys reviewing products and studying internet trends to help consumers stay informed and get the most out of the internet.
Recently, they surveyed 1,000 Americans about their online habits and how they’ve changed since the pandemic.
The group, called High-Speed Internet dot com, ran the same survey in 2022.
Although they found almost no change, the main takeaway was that the pandemic has permanently changed how we use the internet.
The COVID-19 pandemic shifted how we approach work, school, entertainment, social interactions, adulting, and much more, with most of it happening online or virtually.
Other interesting findings include the many post-pandemic trends that continue. While many people reported a jump in internet usage during the pandemic, online activities like streaming music and podcasts, online gaming, texting, and emailing have stayed at those levels.
Preferences around online versus in-person activities also remained pretty consistent.
Internet usage still seems to be increasing. Compared to 2022, 41.4% of respondents said their internet usage had increased (fewer than 9% reported a decrease in internet use).
However, the average time respondents reported actively using the internet went down from eight to six hours daily, so take these estimates with a grain of salt.
VR didn't take off. Despite companies like Meta going all-in on virtual reality (and even rebranding the entire company), the number of respondents who used the internet for VR more than once in the year dropped from 31% to 25%. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the new hotness.
While large language models like ChatGPT were not on our radar in 2022, 37% of respondents reported using these generative AI multiple times last year. The most common use was as an alternative to standard web searches, which companies like Google heavily lean into. You can find far more stats and analysis in the full report.
You can read the full report here.