The line graph illustrates changes in four purposes of Internet use between 2015 and projections for 2030. Overall, downloading films is expected to decline steadily, whereas online shopping and online courses are forecast to rise sharply and become the dominant activities by 2030.
With regard to downloading films, about 70 million people used the Internet for this activity in 2015, making it the second most common purpose after email (80 million). Usage is projected to fall by roughly 20 million by 2025 and to drop further to just under 50 million by 2030.
In contrast, email use follows a gentle upward trend, rising gradually to reach around 90 million by the end of the period.
Although online shopping and studying online courses started much lower – at roughly 40 million and 35 million users respectively in 2015 – both are predicted to experience dramatic growth. By 2020 they are expected to surpass film downloading, and by 2030 online shopping will lead all activities at nearly 100 million users, while online courses will climb to about 80 million