Celebrating the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is a way to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICTs) can bring to societies and economies.
The WTISD, which focuses this year on "Empowering the least developed countries through information and communication technologies," also aims to bridge the digital divide between LDCs and implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda) with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly resolution, regarding the study of the great potential to accelerate human progress.
Telecommunication has become the basis for many services that individuals rely on in their daily private and practical life, such as searching for information on Internet pages, making mobile calls, and sending text messages, in addition to being the main engine for any economic organization, especially with the globalization that dominates the market economy.
World Telecommunication Day has been celebrated annually on May 17 since 1969, marking the founding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865. In 2006, the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference decided to celebrate both events, World Telecommunication Day and World Information Society Day, on May 17 as World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.
Figures issued by the ITU in 2023 show that there are an estimated 5.16 billion internet users in the world, or 64.4% of the world's 8 population.
These Figures are close to 2023 DataReportal's latest Global Overview Report which shows that a total of 5.44 billion people use mobile phones in early 2023, equating to 68 percent of the total global population. The report also shows that 2.85 billion people remain "unconnected" to the internet, with 96% of them living in developing countries.
The causes of the digital divide are due to poverty, illiteracy, and limited access to electricity, as well as the lack of digital skills, which remains one of the biggest challenges facing populations who do not have access to the Internet in poor countries, in addition to the poor telecommunication infrastructure in some developing countries.
The report data also show that the global internet user total increased by 1.9% over the past 12 months, and that the number of people shopping online worldwide grew by nearly 8.3% in 2022 to hit 4.11 billion, and nearly 59% spent on these online purchases was attributed to mobile devices.
Kepios analysis reveals that the global social media user total has increased by close to 30% since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, equating to more than 1 billion new users over the past three years. However, growth has slowed dramatically over the most recent 12 months, and the worldwide growth figure is the lowest ever seen.
As for the number of social media users around the world, it reached 4.76 billion users, equivalent to just under 60% of the world's total population. The highest applications and platforms on communication sites were as follows: YouTube ranked first, followed by Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger in ranks. From second to fifth, then the TikTok application ranked sixth, then Telegram comes seventh, ahead of Twitter, while Snapchat and Pinterest conclude the top ten social media applications by monthly active users, and this means that Meta and Google control the majority of applications. The most followed in terms of the number of active users per month.
There are now 4.76 billion social media users worldwide, just under 60% of the world's total population. YouTube ranked first, followed by Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. TikTok came sixth, followed by Telegram, Twitter, Snapchat and Pinterest. This means that MITA and Google control the majority of the most followed apps in terms of the number of monthly active users.
In light of these figures, the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau warns of widening digital gender divide in the least developed countries, as many of them face enormous challenges, especially in Africa (35% of men compared to 24% of women) and the Arab countries (68% of men compared to 56% of women), in addition to the urban-rural gap, as people in urban areas are twice as likely to use the Internet than those in rural areas (76% urban compared to 39% rural). (MORE)
Source: Qatar News Agency