Trends once spread slowly, lasting for seasons if not years. Today, trends leap from screens to real life in an instant, fueled by social media’s ability to connect influencers, global brands, and everyday people.
The internet of 2025 is evolving faster than ever, with AI transforming how we work, connect, and consume content — truly a generational shift. Plus, rising internet usage and skyrocketing digital ad revenues are reshaping industries. These changes are part of a larger story that Mary Meeker’s iconic Internet Trends reports began documenting decades ago, capturing the pulse of the digital age.
Today’s internet trends reveal how technology, data, and human behavior are shaping the next chapter of the internet.
Dubbed the “Queen of the Internet,” venture capitalist Mary Meeker became synonymous with tracking the digital revolution. Her meticulously researched Internet Trends reports, which expanded significantly over time, covered everything from how many Americans were online in the mid-1990s to the rise of cell phones, at-home internet plans, and web browsers (remember dial-up?). Over the years, her work and investments garnered widespread attention, with coverage in outlets like TechCrunch, Vox, and Barron’s.
Meeker’s career began in the early 1980s at Merrill Lynch as a stockbroker, before earning her MBA in Finance from Cornell and focusing on technology as an analyst. She quickly carved out a niche in the booming personal computer and software industries. At Morgan Stanley, she played a pivotal role in the Netscape IPO in 1995 and co-authored the inaugural The Internet Report the following year, laying the groundwork for her deep dives into topics like:
Her reports weren’t just data dumps — they were visionary. As Fortune’s Andrew Serwer noted in 2006:
Meeker is "absolutely first rate when it comes to spotting big-picture trends before they come into focus. She gathers massive amounts of data and assembles it into voluminous reports that, while sometimes rambling and overambitious, are stuffed with a million jumping-off points."
After leaving Morgan Stanley, Meeker joined Kleiner Perkins before founding her own VC firm, BOND Capital, in 2018. Though her last official Internet Trends Report was published in 2019, Meeker has returned in the last year or so, releasing reports on smaller topics:
Still, the Internet Trends legacy endures — indicating our collective curiosity about the digital zeitgeist and its history.
Next, let’s take a closer look back at these iconic reports: they set the stage for our final section on internet trends in 2025.
The first Internet Trends report was a behemoth out of the gate, getting started with 322 pages. Fans would get used to this incredible mix of first-person predictions in concise, sometimes cutting prose and pages and pages of data, well-organized to enable you to drill in on just what you want.
The Table of Contents alone is a stroll down memory lane, with sections dedicated to:
We particularly like that this report starts off with a “Trail Map”: directions on how to read the report, depending on your knowledge and experience and what (or who) you’re seeking to impress:
Just for fun, let’s look at some examples. In 1995, Meeker and McPuy indicate how technology analysts are used to change. They point to the debut of the minicomputer and the original Macintosh, the emergence of the PC, the “pervasiveness of the spreadsheet, the invasion” of ATMs and the “rapid acceptance” of Windows.
(Meeker and McPuy applied a less than/more than perspective to indicate market opportunity. This example is from mid-1995. Imagine what work-from-home would mean with so few people having real-time Internet access.)
In regards to the rise of the internet, the authors write:
“Other social issues involving community standards, social policy, privacy, and other legal issues will also arise? How will the emergence of a new anarchistic medium affect society? How will government deal with equal access to Internet facilities? How will the law deal with the “big brother” aspects of the Internet?”
Indeed, nearly 30 years later, we do not have clear answers to most of these questions.
Now let’s fast forward nearly 25 years, almost to today — but not quite. The 2019 report totaled 333 slides, freely available for download. Much remains the same: lots and lots of stats, punctured with context and helpful predictions.
Just a quick look at this table of contents illustrates exactly how The Internet has worked its way into our personal and professional lives, into education, immigration and healthcare, and, for some, could even have a geopolitical story to tell:
It’s common for different media outlets to comb through big reports like this and pull out facts that are most relevant to their audience. This roundup from Rani Molla at Vox sums up some super interesting costs that reflect the internet as most closely resembles today.
A majority of the world was online by 2019. Information indicates that less than half (49%) of the global population was online in 2017. Though growth started slowing, by 2019, some 51% — that’s 3.8 billion people — were internet users. (Scroll down to see today’s percentages.)
At that time, seven of the 10 most valuable companies by market cap were tech companies (take a guess who). The “non-tech” companies included Berkshire Hathaway, Johnson & Johnson and Visa.
Here’s our favorite 2019 prediction: “Health care is steadily becoming more digitized. Expect more telemedicine and on-demand consultations.”
We know from hindsight that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the entire world and finally put a spotlight on telemedicine and on-demand consultations. That’s something many people continue to opt for today.
Now let’s look at a few of these numbers today to get some perspective on the state of the internet in 2025.
2025: Today’s list looks much like last year’s, with 8 tech companies landing in the Top 10 orgs by market cap. You could make a case for a 9th company being in tech too: Tesla (although officially they’re in the “Consumer Discretionary” sector). Berkshire Hathaway continues its dominance, though with recent news of long-time leader Warren Buffett stepping down, let’s see what happens in the next year.
What changed year over year? Broadcom moved into the Top 10, while Eli Lilly was just barely squeezed out. Saudi Arabian Oil, however, took a much bigger hit. Seven of the Top 10 companies have market caps of $1.1 trillion or higher, with the other three hovering in the 900 billion-range. (Not too shabby.)
In 2025, internet ad revenue is increasingly hard to track, though some estimates put digital ad spend as high as $700 billion this year. (Google and YouTube alone may bring in $200 billion.) Why has it gotten so complicated to track? Because the way we watch and create entertainment has evolved. There are a few reasons for this:
This is our second year looking specifically at growth and trends in artificial intelligence. After all, AI is every techie’s favorite new topic. This long-time-coming technology is really coming into its own, especially in LLMs and generative Ais. The industry at large is primed and ready for wild growth, even if AGI still seems a bit out of reach.
So, while we may not have a long look back, we do have some early reporting and estimates from Statista:
So, the estimates show that AI is expected to have a massive impact on…just about everything. Here’s what is driving this spend:
Specialized and compact AI gains momentum. Businesses are moving beyond large, general-purpose AI to adopt smaller, purpose-built models that are faster, more efficient, and often open-source. These tailored solutions meet specific needs, require fewer resources, and offer enterprises the flexibility to customize AI for their unique goals. Different horses for different courses.
Agentic AI as “coworkers”, not mere tools. The next big wave isn’t just chatbots — it’s autonomous AI agents. These systems can perform tasks like writing reports or managing operations, acting more like proactive team members than static tools.
Multimodal AI redefines interaction. The rise of models like GPT-4 Omni, which can process text, images, audio, and video, signals a shift toward more natural and accessible AI interactions across industries.
Leadership and responsibility will define impact of AI. To unlock AI’s full potential, leaders need to prioritize transparency, trust, and sustainability. Managing risks like privacy concerns and energy consumption is critical to ensuring AI systems benefit everyone responsibly.
One prediction we are 100% confident in? The AI field is only getting started: stay tuned over this next year for real innovation and bigger spend.
You can access all of the 22* Internet Trend reports here, available for browsing and downloading:
*Note: no reports released from 1998-2000. There are a couple additional Special Reports:
Dig in for yourself and see what you uncover.
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This posting does not necessarily represent Splunk's position, strategies or opinion.
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