Internet minutes can be used to quickly see trends in internet usage, which can shed light on various topics, including:
The internet minute often focuses on the transmission of information from person to person, for example via social media platforms,[4]
and can be used to help understand the spread of fake news or a conspiracy theories.[5] A Pew Research Center study found that 23% of adults said they had shared fabricated political stories – sometimes by mistake and sometimes intentionally. [6]
It can also be used to conceptualise the expansion of the internet over time. Prior to 1983,[7] computer networks did not have a standard way to communicate with each other. The internet started to become popular among the public in the early 1990s. By 2020, more than half of the world's population, had access to the world wide web.[8]
In 2017, around 46,200 photos and posts were shared on Instagram in an internet minute. As of 2019, Facebook were reportedly estimated at around 1 million in a single minute.[9] As of 2024, the internet is used by over 63 percent of the world.[10]
Comparing internet minutes from different years can show the relative popularity of different services over time.[11]
