05-18-12 Nearly seven in 10 adults worldwide (69%) worry that humans have become too disconnected from the natural world, according to Euro RSCG Worldwide.
Majorities feel that society has gotten physically and intellectually lazy, and that there’s an increasing lack of authenticity in modern life. Almost half (49%) are concerned that digital technology and multitasking are impairing people’s ability to think deeply and focus on a single task.
Mixed Feelings About Technology
Consumers have mixed feelings about whether new technologies are making life better or worse.
Despite their ambivalence about technology’s ultimate effects on quality of life, four in 10 people (42%) find it hard to be away from their mobile phones or devices. On the other hand, half (51%) enjoy deliberately taking breaks from their mobile phones devices.
Internet Fosters Self-Expression
More than four in 10 (41%) say being online is one of the few ways they can express themselves freely, and 37% feel that being online improves their social lives.
Six in 10 women (60%) and half of men (50%) agree strongly or somewhat with the statement, “I trust Internet users’ opinions depend on social networking to help me with my shopping.”
At the same time, nearly half of respondents (46%) say being online distracts them too often, and 35% say being online interferes with their family life.
Nearly half of adults (47%) complain that they spend too much time working and rushing around and not enough time enjoying life.
Mature Adults Worry About Privacy
People 55 and older are more likely than those 18-34 to feel that the opportunity to share thoughts and feelings on the Internet is eroding personal boundaries.
Seven in 10 adults age 55 and older (71%) believe people share too much about their personal thoughts and experiences online, compared to 57% of 18-34-year-olds who think so.
Nearly eight in 10 adults 55 and older (79%) agree with the statement, “Young people today have no sense of personal privacy; they’re willing to post anything and everything about their lives online.” Nearly three quarters of 35-54-year-olds (74%) and 66% of 18-34-year-olds agree.
People under 35 are more likely than those 35 and older to worry that friends or family members will share personal information about them online that they don’t want shared. They’re also more likely than adults 35 and older to say they’ve posted personal information about a friend or family member online and regretted doing so.
More than half of adults worldwide feel that society has become too shallow, focusing on things that don’t really matter. Younger adults are more likely than those over 55 to worry that they’re wasting their lives.
Source: “This Digital Life: Prosumer Report, Vol. 13, 2012,” Euro RSCG Worldwide, Naomi Troni, Global CMO, 350 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014; 646-229-2579; naomi.troni@eurorscg.com; www.prosumer-report.com. Price: Available online at no charge.
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