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The World Wide Web turned 29 on March 12, 2018. 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.

Penetration and Use

55% of adults were on line in 2001
71% were online in 2006
88% of adults used the internet in 2016

98% penetration among those in households with $75K+ incomes
98% penetration among those with college degrees
98% penetration among 18-29 year olds

(Source: comScore U.S Media Metrix Multiplatform, 12/17)

The vast majority of Americans - 95% - now own a cellphone of some kind.

Adult ownership of cell phones has also soared:

Cell phone penetration

73% penetration in first survey in 2006
95% in 2018

Smartphone ownership

35% in first survey in 2011
77% in 2018

In 2018, 89% of Adults 18+ use the internet, which accounts for roughly nine-in-ten adults using the internet.

(Source: Pew Research Center Mobile Fact Sheet, 2018)

Mobile (smartphone and tablets) comprises 2/3 of all time spent online, vs. Desktop
88% of smartphone users’ monthly media time is through mobile apps; 12% through the mobile web

(Source: comScore Media Metrix-Platform and Mobile Metrix, U.S., June 2017)

Smartphone owners by age:

A18-29: 94%
A30-49: 89%
A50-64: 73%
A65+: 46%

20% of US adults are smartphone only internet users.

(Source: Pew Research Center Mobile Fact Sheet - Internet/Broadband Fact Sheet 2018)

American consumers view digital as essential to their lives.
89% of consumers first looked at their phones within an hour of waking up
89% looked at their phone an hour before going to sleep
Adults look at their phones almost 47 times a day
18-24 year olds look at their phones 86 times daily

(Source: Deloitte, 2017 Global Mobile Consumer Survey, U.S. edition)

Mobile media time (non-voice) continues to grow

Adults will spend 3 hours, 17 minutes per day on non-voice mobile activities in 2017 — an increase of more than an hour since 2013
Mobile (non-voice) has the greatest share of digital time spent 56% of 5 hours and 53 minutes spent daily with digital

(Source: eMarketer, October 2017)

Social media use plays a big part in American lives today

69% of the American public uses some type of social media
73% of internet users use YouTube
68% of internet users use Facebook
35% of internet users use Instagram
24% of internet users use Twitter
Social users are highly engaged
Most of social users visit sites at least once a day
74% of Facebook users visit the site daily
60% of Instagram users visit the site daily
46% of Twitter users visit the site daily

(Source: Pew Research Center, Social Media Fact Sheet, 2018)

Penetration of the 5 most popular social media sites among online adults; all grew, 2018 vs. 2012

Facebook – 57% > 68%
Instagram – 11% > 35%
Pinterest – 13% > 29%
LinkedIn – N/A > 35%
Twitter – 13% > 24%

(Source: Pew Research Center, Social Media Fact Sheet, 2018)

Roughly two-thirds of U.S. adults (68%) now report that they are Facebook users, and roughly three-quarters of those users access Facebook on a daily basis. With the exception of those 65 and older, a majority of Americans across a wide range of demographic groups now use Facebook.

Social networks appeal to diverse demographics:

Facebook popular across a diverse mix
Pinterest appeals to females – women nearly twice as likely as men to be users
LinkedIn popular among college grads, Internet users in higher-income homes
Twitter and Instagram once showed substantial overlap in user bases, and holding particular appeal to certain age groups but that is no longer the case:

Instagram - 64% A18-29 vs. Twitter 40%
Instagram - 40% A30-49 vs. Twitter 27%
Urban dwellers - 42% Instagram vs. 29% Twitter

(Source: Pew Research Center, Social Media Fact Sheet, 2018)

Advertising

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.

Mobile up 77% in FY 2016, which now reflects more than half of all digital ad spend

Desktop-$38,100 Million
Mobile-$49,900 Million
Total Search-$88,000 Million

(Source: IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report, Full Year 2017 & Q4 2017, IAB & PricewaterhouseCoopers)

While many digital media users are advertising adverse compared to traditional media users, they are likely to utilize devices and online sources – including advertising – to help plan purchases and compare prices among retailers.

A 2017 Choozle survey found that: