Over the past decade there has been a meteoric rise in the quality and availability of technological devices and as a result our digital economy is booming with new boundaries being tested each day.
Things are changing so fast that by the time you read the statistics (courtesy of Marketing Magazine) below they will have already changed – but they do give you a general idea of the magnitude of growth.
- In September 2012 there were almost 12 million active Facebook users in Australia.
- There are about 11 million unique YouTube users.
- LinkedIn has taken over Twitter’s popularity, with over 80,000 more users (2.2 million) than Twitter’s 2.1 million users.
- Pinterest is steadily increasing with 640,000 users and
- Instagram’s Android release as well as its partnership with Facebook has proven successful, with an increase of 200,000 users to 1.5 million.
While the level of social media use in Australia is impressive, there continues to be a push to ensure that these international organisations have a physical presence. Facebook’s Sydney office is the largest in the Australia and New Zealand region, and LinkedIn opened its Sydney office in March 2010. According to SmartCompany, Twitter is tipped to launch its first Australian office following reports of Twitter executives flying down for an exclusive event, said to feature an “Australian Twitter all-star panel”.
And what about the devices?
- Australia has experienced a large boom in tablet usage, thanks in part to the widespread availability of budget tablets (including Kogan’s $179 Android tablet and Aldi’s $249 tablet).
- Even big names like Samsung are offering their 7-inch Galaxy Tab 2 at around $240.
- Apple has jumped into the budget market too, with the release of its more convenient iPad mini starting at around $360 for their 16GB model.
Increasing numbers of Australians are switching to tablets, with user-friendly interfaces like Apple iOS, Android, and the newly released Windows 8. According to the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association (AIMIA), 38% of Australians own a tablet, compared to 16% last year. AIMIA is even expecting this to grow to 70% by mid-2013.
Smartphone usage is also expanding rapidly with around 76% of Australians owning a smartphone. This doesn’t come as a shock with the release of the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S3, as well as the constantly diminishing cost of smartphones. It’s now easy to find a fast, 3G touch phone with Wi-Fi and a decent camera for around $200, something previously unheard of.
Statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics highlight that although most of Australia appears to be embracing the online revolution, less than half (43.1%) of Australian business have some sort of online presence – be it a website or social media page – despite over 90% having internet access. Regardless of this, internet commerce income has grown exponentially from $46 billion to $188.7 billion in 2010/11.
For switched-on companies a great new year’s resolution would be to implement an effective communications campaign that cements their place as a leader and innovator.
If you would like Infodec Communications to work with you to achieve that goal then give us a call on 9531 5595 or send us an email.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!