New consumer research, conducted online by Research Now on behalf of Best Buy, exploring the nation’s technology needs and habits, has found that Britain is a nation of ‘techthusiasts’ with 84% of people claiming to enjoy learning about new technologies, but almost half worried about being left behind in the digital era.
Britain is becoming increasingly reliant on technology in a multitude of ways, from home entertainment to family communications. Half of the people surveyed admit to communicating by text or email with someone whilst in the same house, with 69% of the under 25s admitting to doing so.
As a nation we are now more than twice as likely to choose to keep on our internet access (52%) than our washing machines (19%) and whilst nearly half of those over the age of 35 head straight to the kettle for a cuppa when they arrive home, for under 35s the laptop is now the device we turn to first (38%), followed by the TV (35%), with only 21% opting for the kettle.
One in five of us are now watching films online and nearly two thirds of us are regularly surfing the internet in the company of others.
However, over half of respondents said they are still not getting the most out of the technology they own. Two in three women feel this way. Nearly half of us (40%) are worried about being left behind by the changes afoot in this digital world and one in four of the people surveyed said that technology is alien to them. Perhaps unsurprisingly the older generation are slower to embrace the digital revolution. However nearly one in three people aged 18-24 also share this concern suggesting that there is widespread uncertainty and a lack of help available about how to keep abreast of the changes and make the most of what these new technologies have to offer.
