Social networking websites such as Facebook and Bebo have also enjoyed an increase of 19% compared to last year, with 42% of internet users visiting such sites. This has led to a decrease on e-mail usage, however, e-mailing is still the second most popular online activity amongst Europeans.
The Top 10 most popular online activities across Europe, according with the EIAA are :
Searching
87%
Email
81%
Communicating via social networking sites
42%
Instant messaging
37%
Music downloads
31%
Listening to radio
31%
Watching TV, film or video clips
30%
Rating and reviews
27%
Sharing thoughts on forums
26%
Downloading a film, TV or video clip
20%
Source: www.eiaa.net
With Searching remaining the most popular activity more and more companies choose to optimise their websites for search engines since most people are directed to those through search engines. If you run a website this could be your golden opportunity!
The study by the EIAA has also attributed the increase of online users to broadband, which has come to increase the speed of connections, making it easy for users to watch and download online videos, hence the popularity of sites such as Youtube. Out of the 169 million people using the internet 8 out 10 are using broadband.
In all, 57% of Europeans now regularly access the internet each week, that is 169 million users across the 10 major European markets. Alison Fennah, Executive Director of The EIAA has stated: ?Our Mediascope study shows that consumers are using the internet for function and fun as their media world becomes truly digital. We hope to help advertisers and agencies to understand this evolution and develop new and innovative communication strategies.?
