Is it good to talk?
An international survey commissioned by telco giant BT has found that a third of people feel overwhelmed by communications technology and want to escape it. Furthermore two thirds of those surveyed, which included children, preferred communicating face-to-face.
If you find it odd that a telco company commissioned a report that concluded people are using telco technology too much then you're not alone. The study was led by Cambridge University and featured in-depth interviews with families in the UK, US, Australia and China, with the aim of exploring what impact the communications technology revolution is having on individuals.
"There is much discussion about whether communications technology is affecting us for the better or worse," said Professor John Clarkson. "The research has shown that communications technology is seen by most as a positive tool but there are examples where people are not managing usage as well as they could be - it is not necessarily the amount but the way in which it is used."
BT continued with its counter-intuitive behaviour by suggesting a ‘Balanced Communications Diet', even going so far as to suggest some top-tips, which it's calling ‘five-a-day' for some reason, to help prevent us from all going barking mad due to overuse of communications technology.
- Be aware of how much you're using communications tech
- Keep the tech in communal places at home so you still sort of hang out with each other
- Set some boundaries about how, when and where technology is used
- Set a good example for kids
- Find your balance
"Families and individuals who had rules in place to govern communications technology usage almost universally felt positively about the impact it has on their lives," said Gavin Patterson, chief exec of BT Retail, "Importantly, the research revealed that technology itself is not the problem. Compare it to food. To stay healthy, you need to eat a balanced diet.
"The same is true when it comes to using technology; you need to find a balance which works for you. To help with this, we are launching the Balanced Communications Diet, our equivalent of the five a day you need to help maintain a healthy relationship with technology."
Suddenly it all becomes clear. BT is concerned about some bad press saying that being constantly connected is ruining our lives and turning us into perma-stimulated tech junkies. So this research shows it cares and recommends people chill a bit with the old emailing and social networking.
There were some interesting nuggets in the lengthy report, especially where they shed light on the different habits of consumers in the respective countries. While face-to-face remains the most popular way of communicating in all the countries, we seem to be especially keen on it in the UK. Meanwhile the Chinese love a bit of instant messaging, the Americans are into texting and the Aussies are emailers.
Which method of communication do you like using the most?
And while social networking wasn't listed as a preferred communications method in any of the countries, in most of them it was one of the most used, especially among children.
Which method of communication do you use for more than an hour per day?
