Global Digital Report 2023

By means of the internet, all of us today have become inhabitants of a world made of the digital, and we reside in various parts of it. But you too may have wondered what people actually do in this world. Where they go and how much time they spend. The statistical report on the global digital situation, by presenting and analyzing various and comprehensive data from reliable statistical and data bases worldwide, tries to give a statistical account of humans' digital life. This report is published every quarter, in the four months of January, April, July and October, by DataReportal. In this text the global digital report for October 2023, which is the year-end report for 2023, has been examined. Bearing in mind that DataReportal's report methodology has changed since October 2022, the data in this report often cannot be compared with the data of similar reports before that date.

This report is composed of various sections such as the internet, social media, e-commerce, digital advertising and so on, which analyze users' consumption habits and behavior. Each of these sections has data relevant and useful to the cultural and creative industries, which are identified and addressed in this text. Given the broad thematic scope of the present report and its proximity to the cultural and creative industries, it is natural that only the prominent and important points have been given priority.

Daily time allocated to using types of media

The daily time people spend using the internet in 2023 has reached 6 hours and 41 minutes, which compared with the same period last year has increased by 4 minutes. Examination of daily internet-use time by type of media shows that watching television, at 3 hours and 12 minutes, accounts for the most time spent by users. After television, social media at 2 hours and 24 minutes and books and the press at 1 hour 46 minutes are in the next ranks. Music streaming services, listening to radio, using podcasts and game consoles are also in the subsequent places. This is while, according to the method used by the report, consumption of different media may have been simultaneous and overlapping, and attention to this point is required for understanding the data.

Distribution of online video viewing by topic and content

According to a global survey of internet users aged 16 to 64, 92.3 percent of them watch any type of online video in a week. The distribution of video viewing by topic shows that 49.4 percent of users watch music videos, comedy, viral and meme videos at 35.3 percent are in second place, and how-to or tutorial videos at 26.4 percent are in third place. Live video streaming, educational films, sports and trending videos, product-review videos, influencer videos and game videos are also, respectively, in the subsequent places. This is while, according to the report's methodology, a user may have selected several options.

Listening to online audio content

The percentage distribution of internet users who were asked about weekly consumption of online audio content by type of content shows that 39 percent listen to music streaming services, 20.3 percent listen to podcasts, 18.6 percent listen to radio programs and 17.4 percent are also customers of audiobooks on the internet. Comparison of the present report's data with last year's October report indicates a 17.7 percent decrease in listeners to radio programs, a 12.1 percent decrease in consumers of audiobooks, and 4.7 percent and 1.5 percent decreases in podcasts and music streaming services. On this basis one can put forward the proposition that, overall, listening to online audio content by users has decreased compared with the previous year.

Top music apps on mobile

Based on the ranking of the top music-related apps on mobile phones from 1 July to 30 September 2023 by monthly active users, the Spotify app is in first place. After Spotify, YouTube Music is in second place and Shazam is in third rank. Ranking of the top apps by time spent in them by users also indicates Spotify and YouTube Music again in the lead.

Devices used by users for video games

Examination of the devices used by users for video games indicates that overall 81.2 percent of internet users aged 16 to 64 play video games with any type of device. 67.2 percent of them have experience of video gaming with smartphones and 34 percent also play on a laptop or computer system. Game consoles, tablets, media players and virtual reality headsets are also other devices used by users. According to the present report's data, the use of virtual reality headsets, media players and handheld gaming devices for playing video games has, compared with the same period last year, each decreased by more than 20 percent.

The most popular type of video games

According to the present report, video games in the shooter genre are the first choice of 52.8 percent of internet users aged 16 to 64 who play any genre of video games each month. After games with a shooter theme, action-adventure games at 49.7 percent and sports games at 35.5 percent are in the next places.

Time spent using game consoles

The average daily time spent using game consoles worldwide by users aged 16 to 64 is 1 hour and 3 minutes. This is while users in Saudi Arabia and Thailand, jointly and with 1 hour 40 minutes, have allocated the most time to using game consoles. Also after these two countries, Egypt with 1 hour and 32 minutes and Mexico with 1 hour and 17 minutes are in the next places for daily use of game consoles.

Summary and conclusion

The Global Digital 2023 report by DataReportal has presented valuable data on users' lives and consumption habits and behavior. A look at this report from the perspective of the cultural and creative industries shows that topics such as media consumption of online video and online audio content, apps and platforms for listening to music, devices used by video-game players, the duration and popularity of video games and so on are some of the prominent items related to this field.