TV, work, shopping: everything with internet. In 2020 the Italy of the digital boom was born

Masks, disinfectant gel and Smart TV. The virus and the confinement Digital habits have also changed, shifting another large part of our life between the bit and the clould. According to third Auditel-Censis relationship11.8 million families have connected to the Internet since the lockout in July to carry out an activity that they previously preferred to do in person. There are those who made purchases (7.7 million), those who chatted with close or distant friends (4.8 million) and those who followed the path of a personal trainer (1 million). This is 48.6% of Italian families. Even more significant is the total number of households, up to 8.2 million, who for the first time pressed the keys of computers and smartphones to go shopping or order a pizza. Translated, it means that more than 7 out of 10 families that have entered the world of www – do more than consult a recipe or read the news – they’ve never done it before A number that alone makes us understand how worthy of Lewis Hamilton, the king of Formula 1, the acceleration that our life is given towards digital (a shot that partially closes the gap with the other great countries of the world ).

And also the purchases and intentions of buy new hyper-technological devices they go in this direction. Almost 1.3 million Italians have equipped themselves with a new computer or smartphone in 2020 or have decided to do so. Households with an Internet connection have increased by 2.7% (now 21.4 million), while those that exploit broadband power they are 13.6 million, 1.4 points more than last year. And so the Italians who connected to the web once in the last two days with at least two tools (smart TV, PC, mobile phone or tablet) exceed 19.2 million or 35.5% more than in 2019. A jump LeBron James, the American basketball super champion, is the envy of.

Even television is affected by this paradigm shift. Italians who watch a television program several times a week using a transmission platform (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Infinity) are 11.3 million, 26.5% more than 365 days ago. And also Gianmarco Tamberi, master of the high jump, takes note of this break.

But not all that glitters is gold. According to the Auditel-Censis report, based on data for 2019, up to three and a half million families do not have an Internet connection and cannot carry out any type of online activity, from smart work to distance learning, to shopping and other online operations, which have become increasingly indispensable.

The strong digital divide present in our country is evident not only by the data related to Connection, but also by the tools available. The average number of households that have access to broadband on a fixed network is 55%, a figure that rises to 77% for those with medium-high incomes. On the other hand, the ultra-fast Internet is used by only 19.8% of families with a low socioeconomic level.

Furthermore, almost 6 million families connect to the web only with smartphones and, consequently, cannot guarantee the quality of their services remotely: in 76.9% of the most disadvantaged families, there is not even a PC at home. landline or laptop or tablet connected to the Internet, a share that is 10.2% among those with a high socioeconomic level.

“From the report – concluded the president of Censis, Giuseppe De Rita – An increasingly connected and less dialogic society emerges. We are moving towards a communication logic that requires non-dialogue and a certain technological dependence. If there is danger, it is that people want to hibernate. In the confinement the eyes behind the masks were surprised, now the eyes are tired. Eyes of people who need to overcome uncertainty ”.