Browsing, chatting, online shopping...

...are among our everyday activities that use information and communication technologies (ICT), such as computers, laptops or smartphones. Nowadays, we spend a considerable part of our time online for various reasons, whether at work, at school or university, at home or on the move. Often we depend on our digital devices to stay in contact with family and friends, to get directions to shops, hotels and restaurants or to check our bank accounts. We are truly a digital society!

Likewise, businesses operate within a digital environment: more and more they conduct business electronically with their partners and interact online with customers. The internet is the cornerstone for their e-business operations as it provides limitless capacities to connect people and businesses worldwide.

This digital publication, developed by Eurostat, provides easily understandable statistics on several ICT-related topics and presents them using texts, interactive data visualisations and an animation. It aims to provide answers to some common questions, for example, about internet use, but also covers some more specific and less known aspects such as digital skills and e-sales.

This publication is divided into 4 chapters: