Today, the 12th of March 2019, marks the 30th anniversary of the World Wide Web.
To celebrate the occasion, Cisco released a survey of over 11,00 respondents across EMEA. Participants were asked what the Web has helped them achieve, and what kind of future it has given them.
More than 1,000 of these respondents were South African.
South African Perspective
The surveyed South Africans responded overwhelmingly that the greatest achievement of World Wide Web access is that it has enabled “better access to education”.
The survey further indicated that South Africans feel the Web has also:
- Enabled better healthcare
- Given people a platform encouraging social and political change
- Enabled new ways to work and to be more productive
- Connected people like never before
- Encouraged learning
- Enabled career opportunities
- Fostered a healthy startup culture in the country
All good things, and all capable of contributing to positive growth, in other words.
Overall findings
Taken altogether without singling any country out, 74% of survey respondents indicated that the number one benefit brought by internet access has been keeping consumers up to date and informed.
Entertainment was in second position at 71%, and staying connected with friends and family came third, at 70%.
Respondents felt the industries that received the biggest boosts from Web access are entertainment, followed by finance.
Think of the rise of Netflix/Hulu/ShowMax and others, the arrival of digital storefronts like Steam/Origin/Epic/GOG and the ease with which we can all bank on our cell phones these days, and it’s easy to see just how far the internet has brought us.
Enormous Impact
The survey conveyed just how much of an impact the internet has had on people’s daily lives. It showcased benefits that many of us today could not get our work done without.
Good job, Sir Tim Berners-lee. We look forward to seeing how the internet and the Web shape the next 30 years and beyond.
