(ANSA) - Rome, September 28 - Market research group CENSIS
on Wednesday said in its 13th report on communication and media
use that smartphones are increasingly indispensable to Italians,
especially the young, whose daily life has been completely
revolutionized by social networks.
The CENSIS report released on Wednesday also said
widespread use of social networks has led to a "true social
revolution" by enabling Italians to change their habits.
According to the annual report, internet use has increased
2.8% over the last year with 73.7% of Italians going online - a
percentage that grows to 95.9% for those under 30.
Overall, internet use grew 28.4% over the 2007-2016 period.
A reported 64.8% of Italians use smart phones - 89.4% of
those aged 14 to 29 - up 12% in a year.
Despite the economic crisis, spending for cell phones has
grown 191.6% and 41.4% for computers over the 2007-2015 period,
CENSIS said.
Expenditure for books and newspapers shrank by 38.7% over
the same period.
Facebook is the most popular social network with 56.2% of
users in 2015 from 44.3% in 2013, the study noted.
An estimated 89.4% of Italians under the age of 30 use
Facebook, CENSIS found.
The popularity of Youtube has also grown from 38.7% in 2013
to 46.8% in 2016.
Instagram users have grown from 4.3% in 2013 to 16.8% in
2016.
WhatsApp has boomed with 61.3% of users in 2016, according to
the report.
The popularity of social media, together with a widespread
lack of confidence in the establishment, has enforced the idea
that communities can act on their own and make a change by
networking online, CENSIS said.
However, there is still a significant generational gap with
95.9% of Italians under 30 going online compared to 31.3% among
those over 65.
The report also noted that for the first time in 2016 more
women than men used the internet - 74.1% compared to 73.2% - up
from 43.2% in 2011.
The percentage of women who read books, newspapers and
magazines and watch television has always been higher than men
over the past years, the report noted.
Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of Italians continue to
watch television,97.5%, up 0.8% in a year, CENSIS said.
Italians also continue to listen to the radio with a
reported 83.9% of users, the report found.
Smartphones, social networks 'booming'
Television, radio remain popular, says report