There is no doubt that the world we live in is becoming increasingly digital. This is certainly seen in the workplace, where innovations such as the internet, email and video conferencing are part of daily life.
From understanding the benefits of AI to picking up what voice search is all about, even the latest digital advances are something most know about. The net effect of digital tools such as these becoming so common is that we are all comfortable in using them and have developed a degree of competence in their use.
This move towards a digital way of life can also be seen in our leisure activities. There is little argument that many of us now head online to have fun in our downtime. But as digital competence has developed, how has it made us expect more from our online pastimes?
Online sports betting industry
If there is one online sector that has grown rapidly in recent times, it is online sports betting. It is estimated that the global revenue for this digital sector will be almost $160 billion by 2024. As people have steadily become more digitally capable with pastimes like this, though, they have started to ask more from the sites they register at.
This is most obviously seen in players now expecting all online sportsbooks to have easy navigation and top-notch design. Many players are also more familiar with the whole online betting environment and what extra features it brings. Bonus offers are a great example and often play a key role when players are choosing where to place online bets. From top Bundesliga bonuses to other major global sports, these offers are very popular. This is purely down to more bettors now knowing about similar offers and expecting them as standard.
Social media sites
When talking about online activities that are popular in the modern world, you have to mention social media sites. Instagram has 1 billion users, for example! The increasing use of these platforms coupled with the fact that we are all more comfortable online has certainly led to us expecting more from them.
Facebook Groups is a classic example and allows users to easily meet others with the same interests. People are more than happy to take advantage of innovative features like this, due to being more digitally competent. As we begin to gain more expertise online, we see the benefits that more advanced features bring and expect them on the social media sites we visit.
Online video gaming
More and more people have begun to get used to playing video games online. This is mainly down to them becoming more familiar with using digital tech and therefore being able to enjoy online gaming fully. Of course, mobile gaming is the headline grabber here and this niche in gaming generates many billions per year in revenue.
This is purely due to the skill that people have built up through using their smartphones to surf the net or carry out tasks online. As they are confident in doing other things over the internet, they also enjoy and expect to play games there. The same is also true for console or PC play, where players now expect to be able to connect online with others to play games.
Online TV, movie and music streaming
Before we all got better at using online tech, digital streaming of music, TV and movies seemed something fairly unusual. This is not true any longer, though! Recent Netflix usage figures, for example, put the number of users it has at 170 million. This shows that as people become more familiar with digital tech, they are demanding more from how they consume these types of entertainment. This is also true of the services themselves. Many people will, for example, be reliant on using filters to search for what they want, and will expect the service they use to offer features like this.
More digital competence means more expectations
When you dig a little deeper, it becomes clear that the more competent we all get online, the more we expect from the leisure activities that we enjoy on the internet, which is entirely natural when you think about it. When we gain more knowledge about something, we can make use of it in a more advanced way and begin to demand more from it. All this results in a global population who expect more and more from their online pastimes.
Image source: https://anyip.io/