UberNoggin

It seems that researchers all over the world are struggling to understand the truth behind our tech dependence. It’s a valiant pursuit but the more studies I read the more I think that we may all be asking the wrong questions. For example, consider this recent British study which asked participants which of the following items they would be least likely to give up for a month:

What people would least like to give up, if given the choice (percentage):

*From Vnunet via Wikinomics

Notice that only 30% of the so called “Net Generation” (16-24) said that they’d be unwilling to give up their cell phones. From the previous studies I’ve seen I really thought that would be higher, closer to 50%+. As a matter of fact, it looks like as Brits get older they become more dependent on their caffeine fix than on their mobile technology. Across all age ranges, UKers are more likely to give up their daily pint at the pub than they are to give up their morning cuppa.

This 30% of NetGen who aren’t willing to give up their cell phone is interesting, however, when you compare it to the mere 13% of 25-34 year olds who are willing to give up their mobiles. 25-34 year olds are more than twice as likely to give up their cells as their younger coworkers. That’s quite a gap and, in my mind, it reaffirms a bit of what we think about the technology generation gap. Perhaps, the Net Gen is still able to use their tech mostly for personal and entertainment reasons rather than being tethered to their work as they will be when they’re a few years older. When you’re 18 your cell is a social device. When you’re 30 it’s a constant connection to your job.

Which would you be most reluctant to give up?

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