Internet minute

In internet slang, an internet minute is a derived unit for the number of online interactions that take place across the web in an average minute. An estimated average is usually calculated over the period of a particular year.[1] It is used as a snapshot of the internet to give insights for purposes such as informing marketing strategies.[2] There is no standard for which interactions should be included.[3]

Topics of insight

[edit]

Internet minutes can be used to quickly see trends in internet usage, which can shed light on various topics, including:

The spread of information online

[edit]

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]

Internet growth

[edit]

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]

Platform popularity

[edit]

Comparing internet minutes from different years can show the relative popularity of different services over time.[11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "User-generated internet content per minute 2023". Statista. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  2. ^ Chaffey, Dave (21 June 2021). "What happens online in 60 seconds in 2021?". Smart Insights. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  3. ^ "What Happens in 60 Seconds on the Internet?". PCMAG. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Key marketing stats from the internet minute 2019". Red Lorry Yellow Lorry. 2019-03-21. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  5. ^ Yaa, Yaa (2018-05-03). "Social Media Is For Idiots". Medium. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  6. ^ Anderson, J., & Rainie, L. (2017, October 19). The Future of Truth and Misinformation Online. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/10/19/the-future-of-truth-and-misinformation-online/
  7. ^ Online Library Learning Center. (n.d.). A Brief History of the Internet. Www.usg.edu. Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://www.usg.edu/galileo/skills/unit07/internet07_02.phtml#:~:text=In%20response%20to%20this%2C%20other
  8. ^ Dennis, M. A., & Kahn, R. (2019). Internet | Description, History, & Facts. In Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/Internet
  9. ^ Desjardins, Jeff (2019-03-13). "What Happens in an Internet Minute in 2019?". Visual Capitalist. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  10. ^ World - Place Explorer - Data Commons. (n.d.). Datacommons.org. https://datacommons.org/place/Earth?utm_medium=explore&mprop=count&popt=Person&cpv=isInternetUser
  11. ^ Mirani, Leo (26 November 2013). "A snapshot of one minute on the internet, today and in 2012". Quartz. Retrieved 15 October 2024.