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Digital and Social Media Trends for 2023 »

So it goes without saying that we live in an age where technology proliferates and prevails. It shapes the way we work and live. And sad as it may be, it also dictates how we think and act too. According to the world at large, we’re a bunch of digital obsessives that live through the lens of our smartphones, addicted to scrolling, refreshing and then scrolling some more. Long gone are the days of opiates and quaaludes…we’ve got the internet now! Our toddlers intuitively know how to swipe before they can speak. Our cats watch YouTube. Our social lives thrive online. But before we delve into some kind of Black Mirror-esque nightmare, let’s take a look at the cold hard facts. The digital and social media statistics that tell us how Irish people act online in 2018. What’s got us so connected? Where are we accessing the internet? And why?!

Ireland’s 2018 digital and social media statistics

Surprise surprise, there’s quite a lot of us online – internet usage has hit an all-time high

• According to Reuters, 2017 there’s 95% internet penetration across Ireland
• 89% of us have access to the internet at home (CSO, 2017)

And we’re online quite a lot…

• 70% of Irish internet users surf the wilderness of the world wide web every single day (CSO, 2017)

It’s all in the palm of our hand – 90% of Irish adults own a smartphone (Deloitte, 2017) 

• It seems we just can’t get enough. Irish adults look at their mobile phone 57 times a day. That’s in comparison to a European average of 41 times
• Think that’s bad? 16% admit to looking at their phone more than 100 times a day (that’s me!) against a European average of 8% (Deloitte, 2017)
• Just under one in three of us check our phone within five minutes of going to sleep
• More than half of us think we use our phone too much – nearly 60% of us think our partners do (Deloitte, 2017)

But why? What captivating tasks have us online?

• Finding information about goods and services (86%) was the most common activity carried out on the internet by Irish individuals (CSO, 2017)  
• After finding info, it turns out a couple of us want to buy the stuff too. Over a quarter of us have purchased online six or more times in the last three months (CSO, 2017)
• In fact, we’re now ranked ninth in the EU when it comes to online shopping, up from thirteenth the year before (European Commission, 2017)
• So it’s no surprise that 58% of large enterprises in Ireland experienced e-commerce sales in the last year – accounting for 43% of their sales in total (CSO, 2017)

And when we’re not buying or browsing online what are we up to? 

After that we’re sending emails (85%), scrolling through social media (72%) and accessing online banking (71%) (CSO, 2017).

The click-bait headlines are correct it seems – we are now more social than ever! Check out the most recent social media account ownership statistics below courtesy of IPSOS, 2017:

• 65% have a Facebook account, 69% of whom access it daily 
• 27% have a Linkedin account, 18% of whom access it daily 
• 32% have an Instagram account, 51% of whom access it daily
• 29% have a Twitter account, 37% of whom access it daily
• 40% of us now use WhatsApp (Reuters, 2017)

And it’s not just us as consumers – it’s businesses too. 68% of Irish enterprises use some type of social media compared with an average of 47% in the European Union (CSO, 2017). This very social statistic puts us in second place overall.

So for any businesses in doubt of the value of Linkedin or reluctant to invest in a dynamic e-commerce platform, these digital and social media statistics should provide a gentle push in the right direction. From our experience it doesn’t matter the industry or sector – the customer and consumer are very much online. First impressions truly matter and a poor social media or digital presence can make or break a potential relationship.

SOFIE ROONEY, BRAND STRATEGIST

Sofie’s obsessed with what makes brands tick – a desire to uncover the little nuances that make them unique. Having worked client and agency side at home and abroad, she’s delighted to bring her strategic skills to brands like Drover Foods, Franciscan Well, Slane Irish Whiskey and Adare Manor over her two years with Neworld. Whether it’s brand development workshops, qualitative research, developing tone of voice or copywriting, Sofie looks forward to collaborating with many more Irish brands!