Web Users Now Spend Half Their Time Visiting Content, Far Outpacing Time Spent With Search, Communications And Commerce

An interesting article that came out a few months ago shows that internet users today are spending nearly half their online time visiting content, a 37% increase in share from four years ago.

If you see below, the index is basically showing that over the last four years, the primary role of the Internet has shifted from communications to content

FOUR-YEAR SUMMARY OF OPA INTERNET ACTIVITY INDEX Share of Time Online 2003 Share of Time Online 2007* Share of Time Online Change 2003-2007 Content 34% 47% +37% Search 3% 5% +35% Commerce 16% 15% -5% Communications 46% 33% -28% Total 100% 100% --

* 2007 includes January through May.

More people seem to be going to the internet now for news, weather, and information rather than more traditional means (newspaper, TV, radio, etc). Internet speed and search quality are also likely factors in more people searching for content online.

The full article / press release can be found at:
http://64.13.250.16/newsletter.php?newsId=242&newsType=pr