The fifth analytical report Internet Development Trends: From Digital Opportunities to a Digital Reality, prepared by the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge of the National Research University – Higher School of Economics (HSE University) and commissioned by the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ, will soon be released.
The report includes the latest data for 2020 and the first half of 2021, as well as a forecast for the mid-term. The research focused on four main areas: internet autonomy, internet for the economy, internet for society, and internet development trends. According to the report, the Russian domain market shows stable demand for ccTLDs, and .RU continues to grow, being ranked eighth out of the top 10 most popular top-level domains.
The other Russian ccTLD, .РФ, is the leader among Cyrillic domains and still ranks in Europe’s top 20 ccTLDs.
The researchers also note that e-commerce, a convenient way to connect suppliers and consumers of goods and services, is becoming a driver of economic development. In 2020, economic activity rapidly moved to the internet, which helped businesses get involved in online sales. E-commerce accounted for almost 3.4 trillion rubles in 2020, and its share in total sales is estimated at 17 percent. It is noteworthy that over 2020 the Russian internet audience grew two percent, with about 90 percent of the population having used the internet at least once and three-fourths of Russians using it daily.
The research also focuses on cyberthreats, which remain a problem for internet users. Almost 30 percent of Russians encountered various cybersecurity-related risks, with spam emails and virus infections that result in loss of information being the most widely spread.
The report also notes that the data gathered with the Internet of Things make it possible to talk about the emergence of the Internet of Behavior, and soon the Internet of Emotions, which will erase the boundary between the virtual and real worlds, and may become a new stage of development.
You can find other key takeaways of the research in the special overview (link) without waiting for the release.
The full version of the report will be available in January 2022.
