7.1.3 Developments in digital use

The ways we use digital technology are changing. In Switzerland, the number of Internet users is continuing to grow and the rise in people who regularly use social media is even more striking. The way we access these services is changing too, with around 63% of people accessing the Internet via mobile devices (Federal Council, Un cadre juridique pour les médias sociaux, Nouvel état des lieux [A Legal Basis for Social Media. A Chance to Take Stock], Supplementary Report of the Federal Council in Fulfilment of the Amherd Postulate 11.3912 “Cadre juridique pour les médias sociaux” [Legal Basis for Social Media] of 10 May 2017, p. 6). This means users have different needs and demands given the complex interplay between changes in social behaviour, the evolution of technology and possible economic models (Gasser U., Perspectives on the Future of Digital Privacy, in: ZSR/RDS, Rechtsfragen im digitalen Zeitalter = Questions juridiques à l’ère du numérique [Legal Issues in the Digital Age], Helbing Lichtenhahn, Basel, p. 363).