Exploring the Best Digital Pastimes for Ottawa Residents
Most people living in Canada will be aware the internet is a big deal, with the Canadian Government pledging to connect 98% of Canadians to high-speed Internet by 2026 and 100% of Canadians by 2030. Canada is also one of the most prominent online markets in the Americas, which means almost everyone has access to a smorgasbord of apps for everything from work and travel to health and fitness, home finance and admin, and games and entertainment. In this article, I want to explore some of the varied ways readers in Ottawa can enhance their creativity, develop skills, make friends, and even have fun with safe online gambling.
Someone once said everyone has at least one book within them. With the Internet, budding writers can now improve their writing skills with online courses and then practice those skills with their own blog. Some have even monetized their lives with YouTube vlogs, TikTok reels, and podcasts – becoming their own screen writer, cameraperson, editor, and producer.
If writing seems a bit too personal (or too much like hard work), then there are increasingly powerful apps that enable ordinary people to produce professional level graphic design or create digital paintings and animations via text prompts and samples of their own artwork. Even experienced photographers are experimenting with digital art apps and filters to generate wholly new artwork based on pictures they have taken.
And of course, there are various apps and courses for budding musicians and song writers as well as countless ways to access a wide range of musical performances. Additionally, the internet can bring musicians together for collaborative work – or enable one musician to film themselves playing multiple instruments and singing various parts until they appear as a complete combined orchestra and choral group.
In a world where more and more content is being generated purely by artificial intelligence (AI), there is a hunger for authentic human creativity – even if it is then refined and enhanced with AI.
There is no doubt that generative AI will radically transform our work and leisure lives, with Goldman Sacks predicting that these advances could expose the equivalent of 300 million full-time jobs to automation, while also suggesting it could drive could drive a 7% (or almost USD7 trillion) increase in global GDP.
However, that same AI is also radically transforming the way we learn online and greatly expanding the variety of courses open to online users. Even five years ago, much online learning was conducted through video lectures – albeit on a huge variety of courses ranging from quantum mechanics and gene technology to mathematics, history, economics, philosophy, and art history.
Some people may wish to use their leisure time to train themselves for the new jobs promised with AI, such as data science, machine learning, and AI engineering, or else adapting to AI by developing skills that complement AI, such as emotional intelligence and ethical awareness. These courses range from learning programming languages to digital literacy training to improve one’s understanding of technology and online safety.
One surprising development has been the rapid growth in AI to aid language acquisition, including Duolingo, Babbel, Memrise, and MakesYouFluent. These will identify weaknesses in learning, provide a form of spaced repetition for new vocabulary, and correct pronunciation with helpful feedback. And all these languages can be learned for their own sake, to increase work opportunities, or to make foreign holidays more engaging.
As some readers of this online magazine already know, the internet offers a bewildering range of social interaction and gaming, with social media communities, virtual reality experiences, and online gaming – whether single or multilayer.
The world has moved a long way since the launch of MySpace and the first iterations of Facebook, now providing a wide range of alternative digital meeting places such as Twitter, Mastodon, Bluesky, and Threads, while Tiktok, Intagram, and YouTube are excellent platforms for people to share and discuss a variety of content.
Virtual reality (VR) enables users across the internet to interact in virtual and “real world” environments using VR googles. Examples include VRChat and AltspaceVR with virtual environments and access to events such as concerts. Facebook’s Horizon Workrooms, meanwhile, provide a 3D environment where users can explore, move, and interact in a way that mimics real-life experiences.
Another major growth area is online gaming, which was valued at USD97.38 billion in 2023 and is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 18% between 2024 and 2032, partly driven by the market increasingly prioritizing immersive experiences and social connectivity.
One excellent example of this transformation is iGaming or online gaming – with gambling market revenue projected to reach USD477.26 billion in 2025. Participants now have access to large numbers of regulated online casinos offering a huge range of games, ranging from old-fashioned slot machines to various live games such as poker and roulette. Readers can discover the best online casinos in Canada by clicking here.
So, what accounts for this spectacular growth?
Finally, the digital world can be a doorway to discovery – whether about who we are or the world around us. Users can access government and other archives to learn more about family ancestors, while DNA test companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA allow us to trace our genetic and geographical heritage. Other sites offer virtual tours and even webcams, enabling users to access guided tours of historical monuments and cultural centers worldwide. For those wanting something even more interactive, digital scavenger hunts enable users to participate in online challenges to find hidden items or information.
