The digital lifestyle of residents in Alicante

The city of Alicante has something of a double identity, although both sit happily side by side. On the one hand the capital of the province enjoys an intense and genuine local life: its markets, its bonfire fiestas on the Night of San Juan in June, its undying support of local football club Hércules CF and of course the tapas culture in the district of Santa Cruz.

But on the other hand, it’s also one of the cities with the highest proportion of foreign residents in the whole of Spain, especially those from northern and central Europe who have chosen the Costa Blanca as their preferred home, attracted by the climate, the quality of life and the cost of housing, which is far lower than in their home countries. This cultural duality also defines the digital profile of the residents of Alicante: a city where digital habits are as varied as those who live here.

A well-connected city

The starting point to understand digital consumer habits in Alicante is its connectivity infrastructure. Both the city and the province have high rates of fibre optic installation and mobile coverage, among the highest in the Comunitat Valenciana, and this enables users to enjoy high-demand digital platforms and services without the limitations which affect less populated areas.

This technology base is one of the reasons why the digital habits which are a part of modern Alicante have been adopted so quickly.

Smartphones have rapidly been accepted by all age groups in the population, as is the case nationwide: practically all adults under the age of 65 have access to a mobile device connected to data which are used constantly throughout the day.

The mobile device is the gateway to the digital universe for most “Alicantinos”, and this has direct consequences on the way in which content, communication and fun are viewed in the city.

The consumption of local and international information

One of the defining features of the digital profile of Alicante is the co-existence of information sources in different languages. The Spanish residents find local news through pages such as El Tiempo de Alicante, Diario Información and the digital editions of the main media of Valencia and Spain.

Foreign residents, on the other hand, especially those from Britain, Germany and Scandinavia, continue to consult the media of their home countries on digital platforms where geographical distance is no longer a setback, complemented by local pages about current affairs and news in English.

This plurality in the media is one of the most interesting aspects of the digital ecosystem in Alicante, reflecting the multicultural nature of a province which welcomes hundreds of thousands of European residents who have made the Costa Blanca their permanent home.

Audiovisual streaming and entertainment

Streaming platforms have taken over homes in Alicante as quickly as in the rest of Spain, with the additional characteristic of the demand for content in English and other European languages among the non-Spanish community. This leads to a greater diversity in audiovisual consumption than in Spain as a whole.

British residents access content from the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 via their online versions, maintaining their links with the entertainment culture of their home country while at the same time they discover the Spanish and Latin American options on international platforms. This cross-exposure to content from different cultures is one of the most interesting features of a city as cosmopolitan as Alicante.

Sports and sports betting

As in the rest of Spain, football is central to the digital habits of fans. The support for Hércules CF, Villarreal and the major national clubs generates a sporting digital consumption ecosystem which includes real-time scores, tactical analysis on podcasts and YouTube channels and constant debate in WhatsApp groups and social networks.

Regulated football betting platforms have found an active audience in the fans in Alicante who want to add an extra layer of excitement to following their favourite competitions. Knowledge built up over years of following local and national football acquires real value in the betting market, where the well-informed fan can use his or her analysis in making predictions about La Liga, the Champions League or any other competition covered by licensed operators.

Videogames and interactive leisure activities

The gaming community in Alicante reflects the tendency throughout Spain to widen the diversity among players. Mobile games are especially popular among middle-aged adults, while among younger users competitive console and PC games create active communities. Foreign residents also bring their own gaming cultures, so that types and brands of game which are popular in northern Europe have found a second tier of gaming communities willing to share them in Alicante.

Social networks and the digital community in Alicante

Social networks are especially active in Alicante in the management and organization of community life among foreign residents. Facebook groups dealing with expats in the Costa Blanca have tens of thousands of members who use them to share practical information, recommend local services, advise on administrative red tape and offer the kind of mutual support which immigrant communities have always relied on, this time in digital format.

This community dimension of social networks is one of the most important among a population who often arrive in Alicante without knowing anyone: they can then find in digital groups an initial network of contacts who ease their integration into local life far more quickly and easily than would have been the case in the days before internet.

A digital city with its own personality

The digital profile of Alicante is as diverse and rich as its population. This is a city where Spanish and English live alongside one another on the bar terraces of Postiguet, where you can find local tapas and fish and chips on the same block, and where you’ll find Hércules and Premier League supporters watching matches together in the same bars, and this leads to a model of digital consumption which no “normal” standard fully accounts for.

This very plurality, in fact, is one of the most genuine attractions of a city which has made its cultural mix a key part of its identity, rather than a potentially difficult source of tension.

Image: unsplash.com