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Digging deep into my memories, I can still recall my first venture on to the Internet.  Rather than information or assistance, this visit was for the purpose of downloading a particular item.  This incident was back when an external modem device and a dial-up telephone connection were vital ingredients required for this task rather than the click 'n' connect Broadband options we all use for modern Internet access.  Those were the days when Internet users were considered to be in the minority. 

As mentioned, my first venture was for the purpose of downloading content.  This was a chess game running on the DOS platform.  While I can remember the event, I am unable to supply information as to how much time the download required.  However it was certainly much longer than that required by modern day Broadband standards as those who took part in a recent study by OnePoll commissioned by British Gas.

This study, involving 2,000 UK adults, and dealing with how people were coping with coping with problems when outside visitors were discouraged due to Lockdown restrictions, revealed that the average UK residence will consult the Internet 30 times a week.  This will be to seek assistance to help with issues such as cooking advice, make TV show queries and discovering DIY tricks.  In fact some, around 5%, admitted to making more than 100 visits in an average week as they checked out the opening times of shops and how to fix a broken appliance. 

Other popular topics covered by information searches on the Internet included how to make bread, unblock a drain, fix a boiler and discover customer service phone numbers.  Of those taking part in this study, 47% were pleased to discover how much they could get done due to a visit to the Internet without having to rely on others or seeking professional assistance.  30% said taking the Internet route for help had saved them money.

The research also discovered that 46% of those taking part had recently learnt a new skill using Google or another device.  More than half of those polled stated that they had managed to fix something while being restricted to the home environment due to the Lockdown period without any need to call on the assistance of a professional.  Other features such as Siri and Alexa were used to help instigate the search for a required solution for a particular.  Google came out top as the most common feature when looking for answers with around 80% opting for this service.

According to the survey, here is a list of the top 50 things Brits will Google when searching for particular information.

1. What are the opening hours of a shop or similar?
2. The latest news stories
3. Who sang a particular song?
4. Who starred in a particular film?
5. Dates in history
6. A customer service phone number
7. How old a celebrity is
8. How to find discounts/voucher codes
9. Self-diagnosis for an ailment
10. Where certain cities are
11. Facts about a celebrity such as where they live, how tall they are etc.
12. Where certain countries are
13. How to care for certain plants
14. Good films to watch
15. Good TV shows to watch
16. Good books to read
17. How to fix a broken appliance
18. How to identify different birds
19. Where to buy certain clothes
20. The answer to a pub quiz question
21. How to get a refund for something
22. What are the current social distancing/lockdown restrictions?
23. Things to do at home
24. Who different members of the government are and their roles
25. How to find home workouts
26. How to make bread
27. How to get vitamin D
28. Where different animals live
29. How to cut hair
30. How to clear my phone's storage
31. How to update my phone
32. How to bake banana bread
33. How to make cocktails
34. How to make pizza dough
35. How to make scones
36. How to make a face mask
37. How to unblock a drain
38. Answers for children's homework
39. How to fix a dripping tap
40. How to make a face mask
41. How to bleed a radiator
42. How to do yoga
43. How to fix a leak
44. How to fix a boiler
45. How to set up a video call
46. How to do a meter reading
47. How to set up an email address
48. How to put up a shelf
49. How to fit carpet/flooring
50. How to knit