Beyond the economic aspects, the changes promoted by the digital revolution have a social impact on people's daily lives. Digitization has allowed people to save time previously spent on waiting, traveling or more repetitive tasks.
The report of the Spanish Association for Digitalization, DigitalES, “The impact of digitalization in Spain” shows that, the greater the digitalization, the greater the growth of real GDP per capita of a country, in line with what is established in the economic literature. Specifically, it is estimated that in the European average, an increase of 10% in the 'DESI digitization index' (European Union indicator to measure the digitization of its member states) would contribute approximately 1 percentage point to real GDP growth per capita. This translates into the fact that the evolution of digitalization in Spain contributed an annual average of up to 7,500 million euros to real GDP between 2013 and 2018.
In addition, the study carried out by Deloitte for the employer of the technology sector analyzes the impact of digital products and services on the day-to-day life of people, in particular, when it comes to reducing waiting and repetitive tasks, and facilitating access to greater commercial offer.
Telecommunications infrastructures constitute the fundamental pillar on which the connectivity necessary for the development and enjoyment of digital products and services is based. In this sense, Spain has fiber coverage to the home (FTTH) higher than 77% of households and 4G coverage that covers more than 99% of the population14. These levels of connectivity have been driven by large-scale private investment made in recent years in our country. Only the telecommunications and audiovisual sector has invested more than 15,000 million euros between 2015 and 2017. Access to new digital technologies, facilitated by connectivity, has caused a profound transformation in people's daily habits and activities, such as make the daily purchase or access to information.
Online shopping
Thanks to the growing digitalization of society and the greater use of fixed and mobile broadband, digital marketplaces They have experienced great popularity in recent years. In addition, the consumer has a greater range of products and obtains more information about them. Currently, 42% of people decide to buy online to save time, avoiding travel, queues and waiting. The report made by DigitalES highlights that An average consumer who buys or uses digital services can save 14 hours per month by avoiding travel and waiting times.
Telework 1 day a week and save 4 hours a month
Companies have also integrated technology into the core of their activity, both in offices and in factories. This makes it easier for the workplace to no longer be restricted to a physical location: professionals can do the job from any place and device, and at any time. Thanks to improvements in home connectivity, telecommuting has become a growing trend in Spain. In 2018, the number of employed people who teleworked from home was almost 1.5 million people, 20% more than in 2016. A person who telecommutes one day a week can save 4 hours per month when traveling to their workplace. This time is increased in cities and suburban areas.
Cheaper services and paperwork savings
The cost paid by users for mobile connectivity services (gigabyte price) has fallen by more than 85% since 2012, facilitating access to the entire population. In general terms, according to the National Statistics Institute, the prices of ICT services have been cheaper by more than 20% since 2000, compared to a 45% increase in general prices in Spain.
On the other hand, digital public services are increasingly present in administrative procedures. The penetration of the “e-Administration” reaches 40% of the citizens, who use it mainly to present the income statement, obtain information from the Administration (procedures, applications, etc.) or carry out tax inquiries. According to the DigitalES study, Thanks to this service, users save an average of 75 euros per procedure.
Digital documentation
On the other hand, access to information has changed completely. Online searches and access to digital documentation have followed a growing trend since they appeared at the end of the 20th century, replacing traditional methods (libraries, encyclopedias, etc.). A person can save more than four hours a month thanks to searches in online format and access to digital documentation, compared to classic methods.
The report “The impact of digitalization in Spain” analyzes both the economic and social influence in the country, and can be found in the DigitalES website.