A study on media usage habits shows that: for the vast majority, the Internet is no longer entertainment but a basic tool of life that cannot be abandoned.
Year after year, the Internet is increasingly introduced into everyday life. To understand how interaction with it has changed, the line between a useful tool, an escape from boredom and a digital habitat, Rambler&Co asked thousands of Russians about their real online habits, pace of digital life and expectations about the future. The research results show a society where life without the internet is almost an abstraction.
Nearly two-thirds of survey participants (57%) admitted that they cannot imagine their lives without the Internet, while 43% admitted that they could live without it. At the same time, even among those willing to give up digital, the Internet remains an important tool and not just a source of entertainment.
For many Russians surveyed, the day begins with the Internet: 40% go online immediately after waking up, 24% – at breakfast. Another 16% opened the Internet for the first time on the way to work or while at work, and only a fifth (20%) postponed online activity until the evening.
According to our estimates, Russians usually spend 3-4 hours a day on the Internet (30%). Another 26% limit themselves to one to two hours, 15% spend more than six hours online, and 13% spend five to six hours. 9% spend less than an hour online and 7% note that they are actually online all day.
The main online need is still reading news – this option was chosen by 45% of survey participants. Searching for information took second place (24%), followed by social networks and instant messaging (11%), as well as solving work problems (9%). Watching video content and online shopping increased 6% and 5%, respectively.
Assessing their dependence on the network, survey participants were divided almost equally. 26% of respondents are confident that they can easily do without online content and services, and a quarter (25%) are ready to give up entertainment, but not digital and communication tools. The same number (25%) felt anxious after just a few hours without the Internet, and 9% admitted that they felt bored without the Internet after less than an hour. Longer digital detoxes of a few days or a week are allowed at 15%.
Instead of spending time online, respondents mainly choose reading (30%) and personal hobbies or interests (28%). 23% like walking, 11% like personal interaction and only 3% like cultural entertainment in the form of theater and concerts. Another 5% find it difficult to imagine exactly what will replace the Internet.
Over the past year, the majority's attitude towards online content remained unchanged (43%) or became more pragmatic. Thus, a third of respondents (32%) say that the Internet increasingly helps them find important information and practical advice. For 9%, time spent online has decreased, 8% use the Internet mainly for communication or AI services, and the same number (8%) have started to see it primarily as a way to escape reality.
Speaking about the future, respondents generally expect the complete digitization of documents, including passports (31%), and the further prevalence of AI assistants in online services (24%). Telemedicine diagnosis is predicted at 16%, the appearance of fully produced films and TV series – at 10%. Only 7% expressed the desire to have a chip implanted in their body to connect to the network around the clock. More exotic scenarios, such as robot assistants or “cyber police bots” are still completely appropriate (6% each).
The survey was conducted on Rambler&Co media resources held from January 1 to January 12, 2026 and 7,125 Internet users participated in it.
