More that a half of Russians are active Internet users - 58% - which is twice as much as six years ago.

      According to state-run VTSIOM pollster, for those under 34 years old, the Internet is more important source than television and other media. 

      Now 44.3 million people use the Internet, 38% (almost 17 million) of which are people over 18 years old. In 2006 76% Russians said they didn't use the global web at all.

      Today Russia holds the first place in Europe according to Internet audience size. Globally, it places 5th after China, the US, Japan and Brazil.

      Almost half (some 48%) of the global Internet audience are people aged between 25 and 45.

      The most popular websites are: the search giant Yandex, ans Russian social networks Odnoklassniki ("Classmates") and VKontakte ("In contact"). An average Russian Internet user spends 13 hours a month on social networks. To compare, in other countries people spend some 6 hours on social networks.

      The main way of surfing through the web for Russians is still a desktop computer (78% respondents, 49% use computer every day). The second place is occupied by notebooks and netbooks (38%). Mobile phones place the 3rd (32%), then go smartphones (14%), and only 4% of respondents visit their favourite webpages through tablet computers. 

Sources: RIA Novosti Rosbalt Gazeta.ru Image: newsland.ru