According to CISCO, in the last decadeThe Internet has changed our lives in 10 fundamental ways.
1. Access to information.The web is today the largest source of information, generated by all types of users; It is enough to type in a search engine what we are interested in knowing, whether it is to consult the news, the address of the nearest workshop or dietary recommendations. The studyThe Digital Universe Decade, Are You Ready?, recently published by IDC and sponsored by EMC, reveals thatthe digital information generated during 2010 will amount to 1.2 Zettabytes (1.2 trillion Gigabytes).
2. Leisure and entertainment.Television has ceased to occupy most of our leisure time. According to the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA),Internet is the medium most consumed by Spaniards, standing in number of hours(13.3 hours per week)above television (13 hours per week), radio (12.6 hours per week) and reading newspapers (4.6) and magazines (3.6).
3. Communication and expression.The way we communicate has changed forever. The immediacy ofe-mailhas replaced traditional letters, instant messaging is largely imposed over the telephone, and millions of messages are sent daily.SMS. For their part,blogs they have become an important means of sharing experiences and expressing opinions. In Spain there are approximately 2.5 million blogs, a figure that continues to increase.
4. Interpersonal relationships.Email, SMS, instant messaging, phone calls, social media or microblogging give us the opportunity to connect with other people without the need to be physically present. On the other hand, data from the Association for Media Research (AIMC) [*], indicate that71.3 percent of Spanish Internet users are users of social networks; personal relationships (79.3%), sharing hobbies (27%) and work relationships (23.6%) are their main claims.
5. Consumption.Shopping is an activity that can be done comfortably 24 hours a day, no matter where we are. Cash is becoming obsolete in the face of new online payment formulas, while financial services on the Internet and mobile devices simplify transactions. The Telecommunications Market Commission estimates that in 2009 we Spaniards carried oute-commerce operationsfor a value of more than 5,700 million euros, adding a total of 17 million operations.
6. Work.Work is no longer a physical place, but an activity that can be carried out anytime, anywhere. Mobile devices andnew collaboration technologieslike video conferencing and telepresenceallow work teams to interact with great ease and naturalness, as if they are gathered in the same room even though they are thousands of miles apart. This generates significant savings for companies: of the nearly 13,000 million euros that Spanish organizations allocate annually to their travel expenses, around 4,000 million could be saved using telepresence systems.
7. Training.The Internet offers multipleacademic opportunities: online courses, virtual tutorials, public and private specializations … Relying on broadband and the latest high definition audio and video technologies, we can train remotely from the comfort of home or office.
8. Health care.Last January, Cisco, Telefónica and the USP Instituto Universitario Dexeus hospital carried out the first demonstration of a solution forHealthPresence (Telemedicine) in Spain, in a session in which several patients underwent a medical check-up (nose, ear and throat examination, blood pressure, temperature and pulse check) from the Hotel Arts in Barcelona, without having to go to the hospital . Thanks to telepresence and the use of stethoscopes, otoscopes and various devices with biomedical parameters, it is possible to know the physiological condition of the patient, something essential in the case of chronically ill patients or those who live in remote places.
9. Relationship with the Administration.Spain is a pioneer country in electronic Administration, with innovative services such as the digital ID, procedures with Ministries such as the Treasury or electronic prescription.
10. Eco-responsible awareness.Technology is responsible for 2 percent of CO² emissions globally, buthas the potential to reduce 15 percent ofsaidemissionsin other sectors, depending on the organizationThe Climate Group. The Network offers the possibility of creating smart buildings, connected and controlled by citizens and companies to optimize energy consumption and reduce polluting emissions.
Internet in Spain
Spain is the sixth European country in number of Internet users and the fourteenth in the world. Today, Internet Day, we know that more than half of the Spanish population (51%) connected to the network in the last month. These are some of the conclusions collected in thereport ‘Internet in Spain and in the world’, prepared by the consulting firm Tatum based on data, among others, from Internet World Stats from the end of 2009. In terms of penetration, Spain ranks twentieth with a penetration rate of 72%.
