By James Simons-
There was an increase in regular internet users in 2020, according to new figures show.
New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that 92% of all UK adults have recently been online, up from 91% in 2019.
The figures reveal that almost all adults aged 16 to 44 (99%) were online and 54% of those aged 75 and over had recently used the internet, with the number of elderly people going online having nearly doubled since 2013.
The number of disabled adults who had used the internet was up to 81% in 2020, compared with 78% in 2019.
London revealed the highest recent internet use, with 95% of residents having been online of late, while Northern Ireland remained the lowest at 88%.
Pandemic
The ONS explained the sharp rise in use among older people could be partly related to the effects of the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic as millions of people began to take to the internet to stay in touch with friends and family.
The ONS suggested that an increase in use among older people could be linked to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic last spring, as millions of people used technology to stay in touch with friends and family.
However, it pointed out that the statistics were gathered between January and March 2020, just as the outbreak in the UK was beginning.
The internet was also used to read other people’s reactions to the pandemic, browse news sites, and keep themselves occupied when boredom tended to kick in.
Brits spent a lot more time online during the pandemic, especially the first wave last March, when the media was awash with disturbing news of mass deaths caused by the pandemic.
The internet as a source of information has sometimes competed with newspapers and television in the past year, with more people than ever going to the internet to source information, especially in relation to the pandemic.
Social media platforms like facebook, twitter, and instagram, have been very instrumental to internet users and websites, who often share their materials on those forums to spread their work.
Eager online business and news outlets also make a habit of paying for promotional ads on many of these platforms, facebook and instagram, in particular- to extend their reach
Advertising revenue accounts for 80 percent of newspaper income. Unfortunately for newspapers, corporate advertisers are relying more heavily on cheaper and more dynamic online advertising space. Likewise, print classified ad sections are being out-competed by websites specializing in classified ads, social networking and help-wanted listings.
Elsewhere, the figures show that 6.3% of adults in the UK have never used the internet, down from 7.5% in 2019, while the number of disabled adults who had used the internet was up to 81% in 2020, compared with 78% in 2019.
This means that an estimated 3.36 million people aged 16 and over have not gone online.