Social media trumps entertainment in UK web use

Social media has overtaken entertainment activities, like streaming TV shows, in terms of time spent on the internet in the UK, according to new research.

The Internet Advertising Bureau UK (IAB) and UK Online Measurement Company (UKOM) claims that 16.7% of all UK internet time across computers, tablets and smartphones is spent on social media, up from 12% two years ago.
By contrast, entertainment’s share of online time has nearly halved from 22.1% to 12.4% in the same time period, according to the research.

Games follow next with a 6% share – double that of two years ago – with these three activities accounting for over one third of Britons’ time online.

In total, people spend on average of 2 hours 51 minutes a day online, with this time split roughly 45% on PCs and laptops, 40% on smartphones and 15% on tablets, according to the research.