Cloud-based security corporations Cloudflare released its "Year in Review" report analyzing 2025 global internet trends on the 16th. The report covers worldwide traffic shifts, security trends, and rankings of popular services.
In 2025, the sophistication of AI technology and changes in user environments coincided, dramatically altering internet usage patterns. Cloudflare said, "The internet has moved beyond a phase of change and reached the level of fundamental redesign."
In Generative AI, OpenAI's ChatGPT was tallied as the most popular Generative AI service, but competition intensified. Google's Gemini rose to No. 2, while Anthropic's Claude, Perplexity, and DeepSeek are rapidly expanding their market presence.
In social media, Instagram ranked No. 5 overall and No. 2 in the social media category. TikTok fell to No. 8, while X (formerly Twitter) dropped out of the top 20. China's short-video platform Kwai is rapidly expanding its influence in emerging markets such as Brazil.
In e-commerce, the rise of Asia-based services stood out. In addition to Amazon, Southeast Asia–based Shopee and China-affiliated Temu climbed into the world's top three platforms.
Roblox maintained its No. 1 spot in the Metaverse and gaming category. PlayStation overtook Xbox to rise to No. 2.
In digital finance, Stripe held the top spot, and the growth of Brazilian digital bank Nubank stood out. Demand for digital finance in Latin America appears to have surged.
In cryptocurrencies, Binance kept the lead while OKX rose to No. 2. Cryptocurrency traffic spiked in connection with former President Trump's inauguration period.
In news, Brazil's Globo and U.S. ESPN showed strength. The overall rankings of traditional media outlets generally trended downward, attributed to the expansion of news consumption through AI platforms.
Matthew Prince, Cloudflare's CEO and co-founder, said, "The internet is not merely changing; it is being fundamentally redesigned," adding, "We have also witnessed the traditional business model of the online content industry facing fundamental limits."