Bezeq released its ninth Internet Status Report this morning (Monday), which summarizes the year 2022. The report, which examines Israelis’ usage patterns and behavior in the digital age, is based on extensive research the firm did on Israel’s Internet usage patterns, the trends that shape it and its many applications, and data from the company’s operations and systems.

Together with the TNS-KANTAR research institution, a survey was carried out for the purpose of the report. A total of 4,500 people were interviewed for the survey, including a nationwide and representative sample of adults (18+), a sample of adolescents (years 13–18), a sample of young children (ages 8–12), and for the first time, a sample from the ultra-orthodox community.

The poll, infrastructure data gathered from Bezeq systems, market data analysis, and numerous categories that indicate the state of living in Israel in the digital era for 2022 are all included.

The analysis reveals, among other things, that by the end of 2022, there will be roughly 6.7 million internet users in Israel, or about 73.6% of all homes. The volume of files downloaded daily by the average user of the internet has increased by roughly 17% since last year, reaching about 15 gigabytes.

The amount of time we spend each day in front of screens is another statistic; it is 12.4 hours on average, up 0.4 hours from 2020 to 2021. As previously indicated, the biggest increases were observed in the amount of time spent on social media (3.4 hours daily on average in 2022 compared 2.6 in 2020), television (3.3 hours daily on average in 2022 versus 2.6 in 2020), and gaming (2.6 hours daily versus 2.1 hours in 2010). Additionally, 2.9 hours per day were spent online as opposed to 2.5.

Additionally, 74% of teenagers said they are unable to regulate themselves, which is a worse scenario than the general public (53% of whom said they can not control their screen time when using social networks). Children are especially affected by the situation because 60% of them do not keep track of the time they spend on social media or WhatsApp.

The research also reveals that, on average, we spend 15 gigabytes of surfing data per day, up from 12 gigabytes in the previous year, according to Bezeq data. As a point of contrast, our daily average consumption in 2013 was only 1.5GB.

According to the study, 82% of Israelis find it annoying when someone Phubb (ignore their surroundings in favor of focusing on a smartphone screen), yet the same number also said they strive to do as little as possible. Parallel to this, 61% of children and 52% of adults say it’s difficult for them to stop, although 34% of them do so most of the time when they’re around family or friends.

The fact that 46% of teenagers and 43% of kids use headphones at least half the time means that waking them up won’t make a difference. This statistic, which also relates to disregarding our environment, joins another recent habit we have formed: 63% of people think they should respond to WhatsApp messages right away, while 83% feel they should read them as soon as they arrive. Additionally, 70% of respondents claim that they are distracted by WhatsApp or social media messages even when using their mobile device to do tasks.

There is some good news, though, as 83% of the population says they never use their phones while eating, 67% say they start their days without them, and 55% say they take their phones out of their bedrooms in an effort to curb their addiction and lessen the alienation it causes. Given that only 38% did so in 2021, this is a major shift in trend. In addition, compared to only 29% in 2021, 38% now refrain from using their phones on Shabbat for nonreligious reasons.

combating a reliance on screens

Despite the extremely long periods of time we spend using smartphones, 73% of the general public silence or turn off receiving messages from WhatsApp or other social networks, 19% remove the ability to read messages on WhatsApp (2 blue hooks), 37% install more time-consuming apps (3.5 on average), and 33% are aware of someone who has already taken a break from social media. In addition, -37% of respondents said there’s a probability they’ll think about stopping using one of the social networks and closing their profile.

The statistics pertaining to young people shows a more encouraging trend, with 55% of them attesting to having deleted time-consuming apps, 56% knowing someone who has taken a vacation from social media, and 51% considering doing the same.

Pashkovil family switched to WhatsApp

The ultra-Orthodox community is not exempt from the effects of the digital revolution, which jeopardizes the Pashkevils, one of the oldest emblems of ultra-Orthodox society for the dissemination of knowledge. Contrary to popular belief, 80% of the ultra-orthodox community currently has access to the Internet. Additionally, 54% of the ultra-Orthodox population uses WhatsApp, which is a vital part of life for 72% of users and a source of information for 69% of others who don’t just use it for family and friend communication.

The report also demonstrates that the issue of influencers (network hosts) is gaining traction in the ultra-orthodox sector in addition to this statistic. The topics that are particularly interesting are influencers who deal with food (50), fashion and makeup (50), family (48), religion and Judaism (44), children (35%) and business management, economy and livelihood (35%). 57% of the ultra-Orthodox public follows influencers on WhatsApp, about 8 influencers on average. Politics and current events influencers are the ones who draw the least attention, with only 8% of followers.

And just how much power do influencers actually wield? 50% of people who follow influencers think there are some subjects where they are more knowledgeable than other community members. Additionally, 35% rely on influencers for information and decision-making, 35% think that sometimes it is possible to be pleased with influencers rather than going to the community, and 45% think that the opinions of influencers are sufficient to learn about a certain topic.

As previously indicated, the Internet is breaking down barriers in all aspects of ultra-Orthodox society’s existence. While 46% of them make purchases online, 31% of the ultra-orthodox population connected to the Internet attests to making more purchases online in the past year. Compared to 77% of the general population, 82% of them make digital purchases for smartphones and computers, and 55% make purchases for apparel.