From electronic devices to online services: a massive diffusion of new technologies in 30 years

Over the past thirty years, electronic devices have become a major part of household equipment, reaching eight out of ten households in 2017. They have also evolved to become more mobile and connected. The diffusion of desktop computers from 1990 to the early 2000s was followed by the diffusion of Internet access, mobile phones, and finally tablets and laptops from the early 2000s to the present day.

This has been coupled with a change in audiovisual consumption patterns: the decline of traditional video media (video tapes and DVDs) has been accompanied by a rise in pay-TV channels (62% of households are concerned), followed by online pay-TV services (18% of people say they watch them).

These major changes concern first of all the younger people, who are the first to adopt them, but also the elderly, among whom the increases are particularly high in the recent period. However, inequalities persist in terms of computer equipment or Internet access according to standard of living, and in terms of Internet speed according to the area.