State of the Internet in Q3 2012

In Q3 2012, we saw landmark events like the Summer Olympics and the U.S. presidential race create waves in the digital world, but other trends, like the evolution of social media and fast adoption of tablets, also made an impact on what the online world did—and how they did it. This quarterly analysis explores key trends in Q3, as well as what to watch for in 2013.

Highlights covered in the State of the Internet Q3 2012 include:

• Changing Face of the Internet: In 1996, the U.S. made up over 66% of the world’s online population, but today, it only accounts for 12%
• Using Social Media to Get a Social Life: Facebook is a large source for attracting and targeting new users of online dating sites, serving up 38% of dating and relationship display ads
• Tablets Go for Gold: the Olympics showed that tablet owners were more likely to interact with sports content than their smartphone counterparts
• Instagram and Mobile: even though the Android app was released later than its iPhone counterpart, it beats out iPhone with 53% of Instagram app users