A survey into UK surfing habits found that Brits spend an average 30 hours a week online – which, stat fans, means that you’re wired to the web for four hours and 17 minutes of every day of the week.
The study by comparison website USwitch.com asked 2,700 respondents about their web activity, and 93 percent of those responding said that they used online shopping, with 79% spending up to two hours a week keeping those virtual cashtills ringing.
Over four fifths of users (82%) said that they used internet banking to manage their finances.
On an average day, folks spent two hours on the internet for work purposes and three hours for pleasure and leisure (we suspect that much of that pleasure’n’leisure surfing time would be in work time too).
A third, however, did not use the internet at work, which sounds like our idea of hell.
Come the weekend and the wonders of the real world become more attractive, with web use dropping down to an average of three hours a day online.
Social networking
Around a quarter used social networking sites at least once a day, and while 41% of over 65s think social networking is the future, 67% of them aren’t joining in the fun.
Jason Glynn, communications specialist at uSwitch.com, mulled over the data, chewed the end of his pencil and then delivered his verdict:
This research shows the huge impact that the internet is having on British life. Broadband is rapidly becoming a necessity – as important to our quality of life as gas or electricity.
Our reliance looks set to increase dramatically over the coming years as younger generations come to the fore, putting the Government under even more pressure to deliver universal broadband access across the whole country. However, we are also seeing growing signs of a ‘digital divide’ and the risk of social exclusion for those who are unable or unwilling to go online.
We have to say that 30 hours a week sounds like barely anything to us, although we’re a bit fearful of adding up our weekly total because it’ll no doubt be hideously, worryingly mahoosive.
How about you, dear readers?
