Over two-thirds of the world’s population is now online, marking a 3.4% annual increase in internet users, according to the latest Global Digital Report from global leader in social and media intelligence, Meltwater and creative agency, We Are Social.
The average daily internet usage in Australia is 6.07 hours, slightly lower than the global average of 6.35 hours.
The report found that Australia sits in the top five nations for paying for digital content (74.7% compared to 67.7% globally), especially video and music, and also has one of the highest percentages of gambling app users. However, Australians are more likely to worry about privacy (42% compared to 30.9% globally) and more likely to decline cookie use (40.6% compared to 34.8% globally).
Many social media apps experienced a decrease in average user time over the past three months. For Australia, the average daily time spent on social media was 1 hour and 54 minutes compared to a global average of 2 hours 20 minutes. The share of time spent on social media as a percentage of the time spent online for Australians was 31%, compared to a worldwide average of 35.4%.
While overall social media use has declined, TikTok still leads the way for platform use, but stereotype users at your own peril, with the report showing assumptions are often just that. In particular, this relates to Gen Z with the findings showing a greater emphasis on social connection over passive video consumption.
Contrary to assumptions, Gen Z is more likely to use email than any other age group surveyed. They prioritise email usage over online music platforms, with 75.9% using email compared to 56.1% for music platforms.
People aged 16 to 24 are more than twice as likely to have visited a brand’s website in the past month compared to visiting a brand’s social networking page. This challenges the notion that websites are irrelevant for younger audiences.
Australia ranks in the top seven for use of mobile payment services among internet users, with more than one-third (35.7%) using platforms like Apple Pay, surpassing the global average of 24.1% and leading English-speaking countries.