Internet Use Increases 42 Percent Amid Confinement

Lockdowns throughout the world due to COVID-19 has led users to surf longer on social media and other digital platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp, according to a Nielsen IBOPE report. Currently, the digital audience is more aware of their networks and spends more time on them, which is reflected in a 42 percent increase in browsing time from mobile apps and desktop computers.

In addition to Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp, users have turned to platforms such as Google, Instagram and Twitter, where they spend more time than before the pandemic. Facebook is the social network that increased the most minutes, as the average daily consumption rose 35 minutes per user, followed by YouTube that increased 21 minutes and WhatsApp with 19 minutes.

In Mexico, the National Survey on Availability and Use of Information Technologies in Households 2019 revealed that there are around 80.6 million internet users in the country, 86.5 million cell phone users and at least 20.1 million households with service internet, either by fixed or mobile connection.

Digital consumption via desktop computers also reflected variations since the beginning of the health emergency, according to Nielson IBOPE. Between weeks 7 and 10 of the year, before the contingency, Netflix consumption increased 48.3 percent, while the Top 5 most visited internet sites during the quarantine include live.com, mercadolibre.com, whatsapp.com and yahoo.com. Browsing time from mobile devices increased by an average of two minutes per person per day, according to Nielsen IBOPE. In contrast, tablet use time fell 12 percent.

The use of Netflix and Spotify from mobile devices maintains a range of between 10 and 15 minutes per person per day, respectively. According to the report, other sites that increased their use from the start of the current contingency were zoom.us, promodescuentos.com, sat.gob.mx and unotv.com, while the most benefited apps are TikTok, Uber Eats and Banamex Mobile.

Nielsen's study also identified a difference between the time that women and men spend on the internet. While the average daily browsing time of women rose 22 minutes on social networks, men increased their browsing time by 36 minutes. The study also identified a trend driven by people ages 16 to 54: the increased use of TikTok and Zoom.