Aussies are now spending on average 23.3 hours online each week, 3.5 times more than the 6.7 hours we were spending online back in 2003, according to a new Nielsen study.

Nielsen’s research also shows that seven in 10 Australians actively use social media, and 60% are active Facebook users – a major behavioural shift considering that Facebook did not exist a few years ago and back in 2003, less than one in ten online consumers engaged in any online social networking activities.

“Australians have adapted aggressively to the changing media landscape, consuming considerably more media across more devices over the past ten years,” says Melanie Ingrey, cross-platform research director at Nielsen. “When we look at how consumers obtained information and engaged with brands 10 years ago, it’s as if we’re looking at an entirely different industry playing field today.”

The 2013 Australian Connected Consumers Report found that Australians spend the equivalent of almost one whole day each week online – an increase of 350% in 10 years.

“More than a third of online Australians today own connected devices that didn’t exist for the mainstream population 10 years ago: smartphones, tablets, internet-enabled game consoles and smart TVs. We’re seeing a real emergence in consumer interaction via these devices – for example the explosion of Social TV via Twitter and Facebook feeds, and other apps that encourage active participation while viewing programmes on the main screen.”

“We predict that digital will continue to shake up the industry as it is adopted and developed at an exponential rate. It is important for marketing teams to follow these trends and work to push the boundaries in order to deliver on, or above, their customers’ ever-changing expectations.” concludes Ingrey.