We are social 2023: Here’s what the study reveals about our digital behaviors. Less time spent online, but more time on social media

The annual “Digital 2023” report on global digital trends, consumption, and behaviors has just come out. The report was done by We are social in collaboration with Meltwater.

A snapshot of our digital habits

To begin, here are some numbers reflecting digital consumption around the world, with the global population exceeding 8 billion in 2023. More than half, nearly 5.44 billion people, use cell phones, and almost 5.16 billion users use the Internet. This means that 64 percent of the world’s population is “online.” There are 4.76 billion social media users—more than half the population.

Highlights of the 2023 report

Here are the key points of the 2023 report:

– The number of Internet users is on the rise. Total Internet users worldwide increased by 2% in the past year. The number of social media users is also on the rise, up 3%.

– Time spent online is decreasing. This is the most interesting fact in this year’s report. The amount of time we spend online has decreased bynearly 5%. According to research firm GWI, the average Internet user hasreduced the amount of time he spends online by 20 minutes a day, compared to one year ago, with an average of 6 hours and 37 minutes per day spent online per day. One explanation for this could be the recent relaxation of “zero COVID” policies in China that would have led local users to spend more time in the “real world.” Given the size of the Chinese population (19.5% of the global population), any change in their online behaviors will likely have a notable impact on global figures as well. It cannot be ruled out, however, that the lower amount of time spent online is an indirect consequence of the high cost of living, due in part to the war in Ukraine, which has forced people to reduce their daily expenses, including their Internet connections and media consumption.

– Preferences on the choice of social media platforms has evolved. Most Internet users spend most of their time online on social media platforms. According to the report, 4/10 minutes spent online are spent on social media platforms, for an average of 2 hours and 31 minutes each day spent. Furthermore, while Facebook, Youtube, and WhatsApp, respectively, are the most followed social media platforms, and TikTok is the most viewed social media app, averaging 23.5 hours per user per month.

Why we are online

The main reason people use the Internet remains searching for information.According to GWI, nearly 6/10 users still refer to online resources when looking for information, before:

– getting in touch with friends and family (54%);

– staying up-to-date on news and current events (51%);

– searching for and watching videos (50%).

Research that should give pause for thought

But what does all this data mean? What does it tell us on a human level and on an experiential level? One thing is certain: we are increasingly digital and increasingly social. But then what is the real challenge we will face in the future? To have a more convenient, easy-going life thanks to online shopping, which saves us time and removes the issue of standing in line at the store or looking for a parking spot? Or is our self-esteem more and more dependent on our social media followers? No. Not at all. The real future challenge is to still be able to create valuable human relationships, like on the first day of school, when we made our first “real” friend with the kid we shared a desk with, which was our first experience of “coexisting.” Or valuable relationships like the one you started with that girl you met in your twenties in a college class, who amidst anxiety and fear over the coming exam could still make you laugh and make fun of the tough professor. That girl who, a few years later, would become your wife and the mother of your children. This is the real challenge, which we must all shoot to encounter for a truly better and fulfilling life, where technology can be a nice pastime, but never the subject of the picture.