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The World Wide Web turned 32 on March 12, 2021.  In this relatively short period of time, "going online" has become an integral part of many Americans' daily lives – at work, at home, and at leisure.  We now have a generation of consumers who never know life without being online, and even older segments of the population have incorporated the Internet into their routines.

From the PC as geek "toy", desktops, laptops, mobile phones and tablets have evolved into essential tools.  Consumers routinely seek out audio and editorial content online.  Ever-faster connections have led to the rise of online as a primary vehicle for video entertainment – to the point where the computer and mobile devices are now referred to as "second" and "third screens" respectively.

The Internet grew rapidly since its invention and in more recent years has been accompanied by the rise of mobile connectivity:

• As of July 2020, there are an estimated 288 million active internet users in the United States.
  • Active mobile internet users: 246.3 million
  • Active social media users: 230 million 
  • Active mobile social media users: 225.4 million

(Source: We Are Social; Hootsuite; DataReportal, Digital 2020: The United States of America)

• Share of U.S. adults who subscribe to the internet as of June 2020 by age:
  • 18-34: 77%
  • 35-44: 84%
  • 45-64: 88%
  • 65+: 95%

(Source: Morning Consult, National Tracking Poll #2006121, June 2020)

• The types of websites and online services visited in the past 4 weeks:
  • Search engines, 78%
  • Online stores, 68%
  • Social media websites and apps, 66%
  • Video websites and apps, 63%
  • Company websites and apps, 45%
  • News websites and apps, 37%
  • Blogs, 19%
  • Newsletters, 14%

(Source: Statista Global Consumer Survey, 2020)

Adult ownership of cell phones has also soared:

• As of 2020, the majority of Americans (97%) now own a cellphone of some kind. 
  • 90% of Americans own a smartphone 

(Source: GfK MRI Doublebase 2020)

• In the second quarter of 2020, about 48% of web traffic in the U.S. originated from mobile devices, slightly down from 51% in Q1.

(Source: Statista; StatCounter, July 2020 )

• Mobile apps account for the majority of mobile internet usage.
  • As of July 2020, A18+ have been spending 215 minutes per day on mobile apps and 25 minutes per day on the mobile web.

(Source: Statista; eMarketer, July 2020)

• Types of smartphone applications used regularly:
  • Internet browser - 75%
  • E-mail services - 69%
  • Social media apps - 67%
  • Games - 62%
  • Calendar - 54%
  • Music services - 52%

(Source: Statista Global Consumer Survey 2020)

Social media use plays a big part in American lives today

• An estimated 233MM people 12+ are using social media in 2021

(Source: The Infinite Dial 2021 - Edison Research/Triton Digital)

• 53% of P12+ have ever shared updates of the music they listen to with friends and family through a social media platform.

(Source: New-Music Seekers, An Infinite Dial 2020 Report - Edison Research/Triton Digital)

• Top 5 social networks, ranked by number of active users in the U.S. (in millions): 
• Facebook - 2,701
• YouTube -  2,000
• WhatsApp - 2,000
• Facebook Messenger - 1,300
• WeChat - 1,206

(Source: We Are Social; Hootsuite; DataReportal, Digital 2020: October Global Statshot Report)

• As of February 2020, 48% of U.S. adults use social media as a source for discovering news.

(Source: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism; YouGov, Digital News Report 2020)

• Percentages of global internet users by generation who say staying up-to-date with news and current events is the most common reason for using social media.
  • Gen Z: 34%
  • Millennials: 36%
  • Gen X: 37%
  • Baby Boomers: 36%
• Average social media accounts held by internet users in each generation:
  • Gen Z: 8.7
  • Millennials: 8.9
  • Gen X: 7.1
  • Baby Boomers: 5.2

(Source: GlobalWebIndex, Social Flagship Report, 2020)

As online populations continue to grow, and time spent with digital media, marketers are diverting more of their ad budgets to online, with digital advertising becoming the #1 media category. 

• As of January 2020, Facebook was the highest social media platform utilized by marketers worldwide.
  • According to a Social Media Examiner survey, 94% of marketers used Facebook to promote their business while another 76% did the same on Instagram.

(Source: Social Media Examiner, Social Media Marketing Industry Report 2020)

• As of Q2 20, retail e-commerce sales in the U.S. has accounted for over 211.5 billion, up 16% from Q1 20 of 160.4 billion.

(Source: US Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-commerce Sales in the United States, August 2020)

For additional information/insights on Digital (Internet/Mobile/Social Media)

IAB  (Interactive Advertising Bureau)
http://www.iab.net

Borrell Associates, Inc.
https://www.borrellassociates.com

comScore, Inc.
http://www.comscore.com

eMarketer
http://www.emarketer.com

Nielsen
http://www.nielsen.com

Pew Research Internet Project
http://www.pewinternet.org