18 December 2012 00:19:00 AEDT 2 MIN READ

Latest Trends in Australian Internet Usage 2012/13

What are the hottest trends in Australian internet usage today? Which kinds of media are Australians consuming more regularly than before? How can you take advantage of these trends?

Australia's growing dependence on the Internet doesn't just highlight why security is paramount but also a number of different channels you can use to market your business.

Asher Moses, Technology Editor of The Age, provides many of the answers as he covers the Australian Communications and Media Authority's (ACMA) Communications Report tabled in parliament at the beginning of December.

Australians, it seems, are increasingly addicted to the internet: a report from the communications regulator shows we are sucking down hundreds of thousands more terabytes of data than we were a year ago.

In the year to June 30, 2012, Australians downloaded 421,147 terabytes of data, an increase of 52 per cent, while the total internet subscribers increased to 28.23 million.

Nearly half of us (10.8 million) are going online at least once a day and the typical Aussie spends 82 hours a month on the internet.

The figures are contained in the Australian Communications and Media Authority's (ACMA) Communications Report, tabled in federal parliament this Thursday.

ACMA found that the huge increase in data downloaded was due to the growth in online streaming of digital media, including user-generated video (increased by 67 per cent to 4.4 million people), TV programs (47 per cent to 1.6 million) and radio services (34 per cent to 1.2 million).

About 60 per cent of us use the internet daily for banking and paying bills.

ACMA found there were 22.05 million mobile internet subscribers (including mobile phones, dongles USB modems, etc) at June 30 this year.

"Australians are becoming increasingly dependent on the internet for a wide range of activities including information, communication, and banking and financial transactions," the ACMA report said.

"For many, these activities have become essential to daily life and have proven increasingly attractive to Australians looking for flexibility, convenience, choice and cost and time savings."

There are now 30.2 million mobile services in Australia, or four for every three people.

Read the rest of the article on The Age >>