Matthew Reed’s blog: The new global superpower

Students of international relations used to be taught about the changing balance of power in the world, from the pre-war alliances, through the Soviet-American stand-off, to the rise of China. But no one knew exactly what superpower was coming next. But I think I know – it’s the world wide web.

I recently read that 135 million people watched videos on YouTube during just one month this year in the USA alone. Not even Genghis Kahn could mobilise an army of that size. And no prizes for guessing how I found that statistic. That’s right – on a Google search.

Simply put, the scale of the internet has reached monumental proportions, and its impact is irreversible. There are no exits on the information superhighway.

Now some people might think this pervasiveness is worrying, but I think it’s great. As did my Granny, when I was able to take her (courtesy of Google Earth) to see all the houses she used to live in from the comfort of her armchair.

According to Ofcom, the average media consumer’s digital day is seven hours and five minutes long. Consuming media takes up nearly half our time (see, you’re doing it now!) and a fifth of that is spent in digital multi-tasking: texting, surfing the web and watching television all at once is commonplace.

And it’s not just sullen teenagers who’ll do anything to avoid talking to a real person. For the first time, more than 50% of over-55s have broadband at home, and a third are sending and reading emails each day.

It’s clear that we cannot do without the world wide web, but at work some organisations lag behind. In research by the Office of National Statistics relating to 2008, it was found that 7.5 million people had access to the internet access at work. This is a fraction of the number who use the web at home but, encouragingly, it does represent over 45% of employees within the scope of the survey, and the number is growing.

Researchers noted that 80% of employees with a computer had access to the internet, and that products are being bought and sold online by an ever increasing number of businesses. The survey also found that it was larger businesses who led the way with the adoption of new technology, but that smaller firms were realising the ability it offers to punch above their weight, and were hot on the heels of their larger competitors.

Harnessing the power of the internet at work can bring the same benefits to our businesses as it does to our personal lives, but arguably it’s even more important because of the financial rewards it offers. Working online can lead to a dramatic growth in trade, increased markets, improved efficiency and effectiveness, and transformed business processes. So the bottom line is, get online at work. But no, before you ask, I don’t mean Facebook!