Popular Activities That Have Moved Online

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, when countless websites and apps kept us entertained online amid shutdowns and isolation periods, many activities in our lives had already moved from the physical realm to the online one. In some cases, people have even brought the two realms together in complementary ways.

Below, you’ll find a list of some of the most popular activities that many people now opt to do online, whether because of the convenience that being online offers or because of the better user experience.

Shopping

This is one of the most popular activities that has moved online, with more than 24% of all retail sales expected to happen online by 2026. For many, the internet is one of the first places people will look when shopping — instead of heading out to a brick-and-mortar location.

Watching Movies & TV

Another incredibly popular online activity is watching movies and TV shows. Streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, Prime, and Crave have made watching them more convenient and enjoyable. No longer are you subject to the TV schedule to watch a movie or your favorite show. Instead, whenever you have the time and desire to watch something, you can queue it up right away.

Game Nights

From Pictionary and trivia to classic board games, the online world can help you shape game nights. Apps like Kahoot or HeadsUp allow you to use your phone or computer to play group games in person and virtually. And video chatting makes it simple to host a virtual game night to connect with friends near and far.

Casino Games

Gambling has taken the online world by storm, drawing many users to try out this activity at home. It’s a quickly evolving space drawing in many users to play casino games like poker, blackjack, slot games (like those available from Hacksaw Slots), and roulette. Online gambling even extends to sports betting, appealing to all types of gamblers.

Card Games

In the same vein as game nights and casino games, card games are yet another activity that has entered the online sphere. All those classic card games from your childhood (like Uno, Go Fish, and crazy eights) and even solitary card games many (like Solitaire or FreeCell) can be played online and have their own apps, making them convenient to play.

Learning Languages

It used to be that learning a new language would require going to a classroom or buying cassettes or CDs to walk you through the basics and nuances of a new language. But apps and websites like Duolingo and Babble have made learning a new language fun and incredibly convenient. Many language learning apps make the process feel like a game with regular challenges to incentivize people to keep showing up and learning.

Meanwhile, websites like Google Translate and DeepL help new language learners easily translate written passages and spoken phrases with more ease than a translation dictionary ever offered.

Meditation

While meditation doesn’t require anything physical for you to practice, there are tools you can use to support a meditation practice. This can be physical objects like a meditation pillow, incense, or candles. Or it can be digital, like guidance from a recorded or live meditation.

This guidance is readily available in the online world. You can enjoy pre-recorded meditations through streaming platforms like Spotify and YouTube or take part in live meditations through social media.

It might sound surprising, but this ancient practice and activity can be supported and, for many, enhanced through the online world.

Exercise Classes

Gone are the days when you need to leave the comfort of your home and be surrounded by strangers in a gym setting to participate in a workout class. The same goes for repeatedly doing the same workout because it’s the only workout video you have on hand.

Today, you can do this all at home with a wide range of class types and options thanks to the creation of online exercise classes. You can even participate in many of them for free, saving yourself from the cost of a gym membership.

In fact, the online fitness and well-being world has become an incredibly popular and lucrative industry projected to generate over $19 billion in 2023, and it will only keep growing in the years to come.

Reading

With audiobooks and e-books available online, this activity has comfortably found its place on this list. Most notably, though, the availability of audiobooks has made this activity thrive online.

Apps like Audible make it easy and convenient to enjoy reading. You no longer have to set aside dedicated time to pick up a book and read; you can multitask by listening to a book while driving, cleaning, or walking. This convenience and flexibility in consuming books have seen an incredible jump in popularity, to the point where platforms like Spotify have added audiobooks to their catalog.

Book Clubs

Similar to how you can now host game nights online, you can also host book clubs online. Via video chats, you can enjoy the same social experience of meeting with your book club members but from wherever is most convenient for you.

Listening To Music

Listening to music is yet another activity that has moved online, with platforms like YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music offering convenient and easy ways to listen to music from all around the world wherever and whenever.

Learning New Hobbies

It used to be that to learn a new hobby or activity, you would have to invest in books, videos, classes, or workshops, but this, too, has been simplified and moved online. You can often find videos on YouTube or blogs outlining how to do something as a beginner without investing in the teaching resources to get started. LinkedIn Learning is another excellent resource for this.

Conclusion

Many of our favorite activities that we jump into to add more enjoyment and fun to our lives and to enhance our minds and well-being have moved online, creating an even more enjoyable and convenient experience and improving our quality of life.