From streaming to cloud storage, Americans are plugged in. We work, shop, stay connected, and relax thanks to digital services that offer up everything from our date-night streaming movies to the snacks we’ll eat while we watch.
These services are an integral part of our lives. But are we becoming more dependent on the digital realm than ever before? And how do we feel about our data safety when so much of our lives are online?
We wanted to find out, so we surveyed a representative sample of 1200 Americans about their use of digital services. What did we find?
Most Americans use digital services multiple times daily, and their usage has only increased over the last five years. They’re most dependent on email for simple, free, global communication and, at least so far, least reliant on AI to help them navigate daily life. However, even as Americans increasingly rely on their digital services, respondents don’t trust most of them with their personal information.
Key Takeaways
- Using digital services multiple times a day is normal: 58% of Americans use email and 59% use social media multiple times a day, while 33% use streaming services like Netflix multiple times daily.
- Dependence is growing: The majority of Americans have increased their dependence on every service category since 2019, but social media takes the prize, with almost a third (31%) saying their social media use has increased significantly over the last five years.
- Email is the service Americans can’t live without: Over half of respondents say their lives would be “significantly impacted” without it.
- We trust large financial institutions most with our digital data: Regulated industries like banks and credit card companies are most trusted with users’ digital data, with professional services (legal, accounting) coming in second.
Over 57% of People Use Email and Social Media Multiple Times a Day
When it comes to digital services, email reigns supreme. More than 90% of us use email at least once daily.
Just over 82% can say the same for the runner-up — social media — despite the belief that social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok employ addictive characteristics like infinite scrolling and algorithms that make it difficult to put them down.
Meanwhile, streaming services like Netflix and Hulu are leisurely priorities, with 33% of respondents accessing them daily and another 33% using them multiple times daily.
With email dominating the services Americans use every day, it might be logical that cloud storage tools like Google Drive and Dropbox, also frequently used in office settings, would also be popular. But cloud storage comes in a distant 4th place, with just over 20% of users logging on multiple times per day and almost a quarter of Americans saying they use cloud storage rarely, if ever.
AI tools lag behind, but even still, nearly 2 in 3 respondents use AI tools at least weekly. Just over 17% of people say they use services like Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, or ChatGPT multiple times per day, while almost 30% of us use these tools rarely or never.
Overall, service use across platforms is strongest among daily and multiple-times-per-day users, with service use dropping off for users who turn to these services weekly or monthly. The pattern suggests that as these digital services become embedded in our daily lives, we increasingly turn to them for convenience, core tasks, or engagement.
Social Media Use has “Significantly Increased” 31% Over the Past 5 Years
Social media platforms lead the pack in increased dependency, though streaming services have also seen their usage skyrocket over the past five years.
Overall, more than half of American respondents (57%) are more active on social media than five years ago. 31% say their own social media use has gone up significantly, while another 26% admit their use has increased somewhat since 2019.
56% of respondents feel their reliance on streaming services has grown, making it a close second to social media. This usage reflects the rise of binge-watching and on-demand content and the greater role streaming has played in replacing traditional television and music platforms.
Users of cloud storage and AI have increased their dependency on these tools, which have steadily gained traction over the years. Nearly 20% of respondents report significantly increased use of both services, with nearly 30% reporting somewhat increased usage.
While 18% of respondents report never having used AI tools or services, of the respondents who are acquainted with these types of services, 61% have increased their use in the last 5 years.
Both AI and cloud storage tools report the lowest increase in use alongside the lowest dependence even today, suggesting that these tools might still represent emerging technologies and serve niche functions in our lives without habituating users to engage with them more over time.
Losing Access to Email Would Impact People the Most
With high, albeit steady, use over the years, email has emerged as Americans’ go-to digital platform. Over half of people (54%) say they would be “significantly impacted” if they lost access to email, and social media wasn’t even in second place!
Instead, Americans would be more distressed if they lost access to streaming services: 34% said they’d be "significantly impacted” if they lost access to their entertainment, with just 32% saying they’d suffer the same impacts without social media. A combined 30% of people said it would “not have much impact” or “no impact at all” if they lost access to either streaming or social media services.
Just 15% of Americans couldn’t bear to lose access to AI tools, which are still seen as supplemental tools rather than a “must-have” necessity.
For newer or niche tools, transitioning from convenience to necessity is crucial for increasing use over time and nurturing platform dependence. Cloud storage, while nice, hasn’t quite reached that bar. And AI tools are still new, existing outside many Americans’ daily routines.
For Americans to adopt these tools into their daily lives, they need to transition from helpful extras to indispensables, encouraging frequent use and integrating them into everyday habits. For now, email is the digital service that has become most deeply embedded in Americans’ routines.
Large Finance Companies Trusted Most with Personal Data
Given Americans’ digital dependence on platforms from email to streaming services and multiple social media accounts, users are accustomed to sharing their data with all kinds of companies, large and small, across industries.
But do they feel their data is in good hands?
Respondents profess the highest level of trust in regulated industries like financial institutions (like banks and credit card companies). About a third (34%) of respondents said they trust those organizations “very much” with their personal data, with another 52% saying they “somewhat” trust them.
Almost 36% fewer users trust accounting or law firms at the same level (with about 26% of Americans saying they “very much” trust those organizations).
In general, the larger a company grows, the more trust users afford it. Even when those organizations aren’t part of highly regulated industries, familiarity fosters confidence.
Americans Are Digital Dependents Despite Trust Gaps
Trust and dependency don’t always align in American life. While Americans express moderate trust in large platforms like Google, which power essential tools like email and cloud storage, their reliance on these services varies. Email has become a must, driving daily life and workflows, whereas cloud storage, while helpful, isn’t as central to our routines.
Ultimately, necessity, not trust, drives usage.
As digital dependency grows, Americans are integrating more platforms and services into their lives, accepting that an expanding roster of companies holds their data. That dependency is evident in respondents’ reliance on email, social media, and streaming services as they grow in use. The trend reflects a willingness to prioritize convenience and connectivity, even when trust in platforms lags.
Digital services are central to modern life. But more Americans are relying on tools they can’t live without, all the while wondering if they can trust their data to those services. Dependency will likely continue to grow. The question remains: will trust catch up?
Methodology
This holiday AI scam survey was conducted via Pollfish, with 1200 American respondents, on November 20, 2024. Survey technology includes a representative sample reflecting the demographics of the US across state residence, sex, race, income level, and age.
