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No, You're Not Impatient. The Internet is Getting Slower

Kent Alstad

We live in a world where we expect instant gratification, especially when it comes to the quality of our internet experience. From the ability to have 24/7 access to our financial accounts, “one-click” shopping on eCommerce sites, and of course, searching for answers to the boundless array of questions we have on a daily basis.

However, as quickly as we can access this information right at our fingertips, there is a slight speed bump in doing so. Believe it or not – you aren’t being impatient. The Internet is getting slower and just about everyone is noticing.

So what’s part of the cause for this issue? Page bloat and unoptimized images.

Unoptimized Images Are Bogging Down the User Experience

People browsing the web expect a similar experience to a fast-paced HD TV channel, with intensive graphics, animations and other visual assets, and site designers have largely obliged.

However, there’s been a push-pull dynamic: people also expect websites to load as quickly as the changing of a channel, serving bright, high-resolution images in real-time.

According to data from HTTP Archive, the average website is now 2.1 MB which is twice as large as the average website in 2012. Images, scripts and video make up most of that space.


Source: HTTP Archive

What isn’t helping the cause is the proliferation of smartphones, tablets and even watches that can access the Internet, which lead to incredible fragmentation.

All of these devices come with marketing campaigns promising portable powerhouses and break-neck speed, but don’t speak to the real-world bottlenecks in play, from browsers to bandwidth.

And the Solution Is…?

While coverage of the issues present the challenges adequately, they don’t address the steps that can be taken to address the problem.

If they did, you’d be reading about automation solutions. Using the right web performance optimization (WPO) solution enables faster websites and web-based applications, optimizes images on the fly, and selects the most effective image compression format that the browser can support.

It’s an elegant solution to a complex challenge, but can yield serious gains on Time to Interact (TTI), the measurement of the total load time between the first request and the point where the feature image loads and/or interactive elements can be engaged with. This is a key metric, and the real gauge for site speed.

So, when you are feeling a bit impatient that you’re website isn’t loading quickly enough, remember – it's not you. Web pages simply aren’t loading as quickly as they used to. Just know that an automation solution can address the spinning wheel of interminable loading.

Kent Alstad is VP of Acceleration at Radware.

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No, You're Not Impatient. The Internet is Getting Slower

Kent Alstad

We live in a world where we expect instant gratification, especially when it comes to the quality of our internet experience. From the ability to have 24/7 access to our financial accounts, “one-click” shopping on eCommerce sites, and of course, searching for answers to the boundless array of questions we have on a daily basis.

However, as quickly as we can access this information right at our fingertips, there is a slight speed bump in doing so. Believe it or not – you aren’t being impatient. The Internet is getting slower and just about everyone is noticing.

So what’s part of the cause for this issue? Page bloat and unoptimized images.

Unoptimized Images Are Bogging Down the User Experience

People browsing the web expect a similar experience to a fast-paced HD TV channel, with intensive graphics, animations and other visual assets, and site designers have largely obliged.

However, there’s been a push-pull dynamic: people also expect websites to load as quickly as the changing of a channel, serving bright, high-resolution images in real-time.

According to data from HTTP Archive, the average website is now 2.1 MB which is twice as large as the average website in 2012. Images, scripts and video make up most of that space.


Source: HTTP Archive

What isn’t helping the cause is the proliferation of smartphones, tablets and even watches that can access the Internet, which lead to incredible fragmentation.

All of these devices come with marketing campaigns promising portable powerhouses and break-neck speed, but don’t speak to the real-world bottlenecks in play, from browsers to bandwidth.

And the Solution Is…?

While coverage of the issues present the challenges adequately, they don’t address the steps that can be taken to address the problem.

If they did, you’d be reading about automation solutions. Using the right web performance optimization (WPO) solution enables faster websites and web-based applications, optimizes images on the fly, and selects the most effective image compression format that the browser can support.

It’s an elegant solution to a complex challenge, but can yield serious gains on Time to Interact (TTI), the measurement of the total load time between the first request and the point where the feature image loads and/or interactive elements can be engaged with. This is a key metric, and the real gauge for site speed.

So, when you are feeling a bit impatient that you’re website isn’t loading quickly enough, remember – it's not you. Web pages simply aren’t loading as quickly as they used to. Just know that an automation solution can address the spinning wheel of interminable loading.

Kent Alstad is VP of Acceleration at Radware.

The Latest

According to Auvik's 2025 IT Trends Report, 60% of IT professionals feel at least moderately burned out on the job, with 43% stating that their workload is contributing to work stress. At the same time, many IT professionals are naming AI and machine learning as key areas they'd most like to upskill ...

Businesses that face downtime or outages risk financial and reputational damage, as well as reducing partner, shareholder, and customer trust. One of the major challenges that enterprises face is implementing a robust business continuity plan. What's the solution? The answer may lie in disaster recovery tactics such as truly immutable storage and regular disaster recovery testing ...

IT spending is expected to jump nearly 10% in 2025, and organizations are now facing pressure to manage costs without slowing down critical functions like observability. To meet the challenge, leaders are turning to smarter, more cost effective business strategies. Enter stage right: OpenTelemetry, the missing piece of the puzzle that is no longer just an option but rather a strategic advantage ...

Amidst the threat of cyberhacks and data breaches, companies install several security measures to keep their business safely afloat. These measures aim to protect businesses, employees, and crucial data. Yet, employees perceive them as burdensome. Frustrated with complex logins, slow access, and constant security checks, workers decide to completely bypass all security set-ups ...

Image
Cloudbrink's Personal SASE services provide last-mile acceleration and reduction in latency

In MEAN TIME TO INSIGHT Episode 13, Shamus McGillicuddy, VP of Research, Network Infrastructure and Operations, at EMA discusses hybrid multi-cloud networking strategy ... 

In high-traffic environments, the sheer volume and unpredictable nature of network incidents can quickly overwhelm even the most skilled teams, hindering their ability to react swiftly and effectively, potentially impacting service availability and overall business performance. This is where closed-loop remediation comes into the picture: an IT management concept designed to address the escalating complexity of modern networks ...

In 2025, enterprise workflows are undergoing a seismic shift. Propelled by breakthroughs in generative AI (GenAI), large language models (LLMs), and natural language processing (NLP), a new paradigm is emerging — agentic AI. This technology is not just automating tasks; it's reimagining how organizations make decisions, engage customers, and operate at scale ...

In the early days of the cloud revolution, business leaders perceived cloud services as a means of sidelining IT organizations. IT was too slow, too expensive, or incapable of supporting new technologies. With a team of developers, line of business managers could deploy new applications and services in the cloud. IT has been fighting to retake control ever since. Today, IT is back in the driver's seat, according to new research by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) ...

In today's fast-paced and increasingly complex network environments, Network Operations Centers (NOCs) are the backbone of ensuring continuous uptime, smooth service delivery, and rapid issue resolution. However, the challenges faced by NOC teams are only growing. In a recent study, 78% state network complexity has grown significantly over the last few years while 84% regularly learn about network issues from users. It is imperative we adopt a new approach to managing today's network experiences ...

Image
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From growing reliance on FinOps teams to the increasing attention on artificial intelligence (AI), and software licensing, the Flexera 2025 State of the Cloud Report digs into how organizations are improving cloud spend efficiency, while tackling the complexities of emerging technologies ...