I’m OK, you’re OK - so long as we’re getting time online
In what’s seen as a sad commentary on modern life to some — drawing “duh, what’d you expect?” reactions from others — a survey out this morning reports that we’re becoming so dependent on our Web lives that we’re giving up face-to-face time with friends and even sex to keep connected.
The survey of more than 1,000 American adults reports, among other findings that:
- Asked how long they would be OK without Web access: 15 percent of respondents said less than a day; 21 percent said a couple of days; 19 percent said a few days
- 48 percent said they “felt something important was missing” without Internet access
- 28 percent admit spending less time face-to-face with peers because of the amount of time they spend online
- 20 percent say they spend less time having sex because of time spent online.
JWT, the advertising agency that conducted the study, has created a new advertising demographic - ‘digivity denizens’ - describing people whose lives are profoundly connected to the Web, those “whose online and offline lives are co-mingled and who would chose a Wi-Fi connection over TV any day,” as JWT trend spotting director Ann Mack describes them.
Is that unhealthy? Perhaps, but it also can be more engaging, thought-provoking and interactive than TV has ever been.
Oh good grief! I wonder who they ask? They’ve never asked me any of this stuff you see in surveys. I spend some time on the web at work, mostly work-related and stock-market related, but almost no time on the web at home. But then I have a life…
Gee, wasn’t there a Star Trek: Voyager episode where they travel to late 20th century earth and one crew member remarks about TV and the other crew member more knowledgable about cultural history remarks on how TV eventually passed out of fashion because of a lack of mental stimulation and interaction with other people? Something like that. Almost prophetic if this is a true trend.
“20 percent say they spend less time having sex because of time spent online”
More like 5% judging from the 24/7 Wiredos running around. And I’m Eastcoast not SV…
Yeah, like this morning. CNN and MSNBC spent most of the time rehashing O.J. Simpson and the events in Jena. Then we have the perfunctory Iraq coverage and what the President had to say. OK, after 10 minutes of this it was the web or the Food Network. TV is a vast wasteland.
Simply recording how much time spent (I wasn’t asked either) is hardly fair to those of us who work online. Of course we’re going to spend a lot of time on the computer. That’s where the work is!
Surveys like this always seem to make it sound like we’re burning eight hours per day watching YouTube clips and AOLing “LOL!” to each other.