Recently, the Internet Foundation released the annual report “The Swedes and the Internet 2024”. We’ve compiled some sharp insights and trends that every marketing department should take note of.
Almost all people between the ages of 16 and 64 are active online, but a fifth of pensioners lag behind. This is particularly true of women over 75, highlighting a significant generational gap in digital usage in 2024.
The need for digital help is increasing
According to the survey, every fifth Swede over the age of 18 needs digital help, and the need increases sharply as people age, where the need for help quadruples among pensioners. Younger pensioners (65–75 years) have three times as much need for support compared to those of working age. Common problems include technical difficulties and difficulties with digital terminology. The oldest pensioners (over 75) feel like part of the “pre-digital generation” and find it difficult to navigate the digital world. This can create feelings of exclusion, and many feel overwhelmed by the rapid development of technology, leaving accurate mobile phone number list them struggling to find information and support. Many, as an 87-year-old puts it, feel that “control over technology has slipped out of their hands”.
Use of e-services
Furthermore, how Swedes vraiment un détour par sprout & co use e-services is examined. In 2024, 70 percent of Swedes have a digital mailbox, with Kivra dominating with two-thirds of users. Almost all Swedes use e-identification, with mobile Bank-id as the most popular service (92 percent). Of these, a fifth have activated a digital ID card, but only 61 percent are even aware that it exists.
Payment solutions
Swish is the most used payment app, with agb directory almost 90 percent of Swedes using it, while Apple Pay lags behind. Payment by “blipping” the mobile phone is hotter among younger people, but the age group over 65 risks being excluded from the digital society due to their low use of these e-services.
How we use social media
The report also highlights social media and how different platforms are used between 2021 and 2024. Almost all internet users in Sweden are active on social media, but the growth rate is slow and the platforms’ popularity remains constant. Facebook is still a player, but usage is steadily declining.
Platforms and younger users
Threads has managed to attract new users, thanks in part to its connection to Meta and the ability to log in with the Instagram account. Other platforms such as Bluesky, Yubo and Mastodon are struggling to gain traction, with only 1 percent of Swedes using them.
The report also addresses how social media affects social relationships, self-image and how children and young people interact online. Also risks such as children being able to have accounts that parents don’t know about and the feeling of alienation linked to social platforms.
Positive and negative effects
The Swedes generally see social media as an asset for social interaction, as they facilitate communication and broaden the circle of friends. Over a quarter use the platforms for support and advice within various interest groups.
The report shows that over half of Swedes follow nationwide news media and community news on social media, especially among people born between 1950 and 1990.
Swedes have different preferences for how they consume news media based on political views. People on the left of the political scale follow SVT Nyheter and Sveriges Radio/Ekot to a higher degree than their counterparts on the right. Almost half of Swedes discover social news via social media, especially among younger generations where up to two-thirds of 00- and 10-year-olds do so.
