Smartphone Encroaches Personal Lives, Destroys Relationships: RingCentral Survey
A recent nationwide survey conducted by RingCentral, a provider of cloud-based business phone systems, reveals interesting facts about smartphone addiction among users.
An astounding 84 percent of women participants rated their smartphones sexier than their spouses. This obsession is driven by the insatiable need for 24/7 access to the latest lifestyle and gaming apps, and it is having an adverse impact on human relationships, according to the survey.
Smartphone has significantly encroached on quality time with their significant others, as indicated by a majority (77 percent) of respondents. Of those, 82 percent said the decrease in quality time didn't bother them, as that would mean decrease in arguments.
“Since getting my smartphone, I've noticed that I spend more and more time playing Words with Friends and other games and less time talking to my husband about his day,” said a respondent. “I play against my husband a lot – that counts as quality time, doesn't it?” was her excuse.
The survey found that on average an adult spends approximately nine hours playing with their smartphones, and only 27 minutes a day talking with their significant others. Twenty-five of those minutes are usually spent on discussing the menu for dinner.
A vast majority (81 percent) said they would rather remain single and keep their smartphone than be in a relationship without access to a smartphone. "Unlike my girlfriend, my iPhone (News - Alert) doesn't ask me every day if its case makes it look fat," was the response from one survey participant.
On the gaming side, 72 percent of women think their smartphones have a better golf game then their husbands. “Smartphones look better in plaid and don't come back from the course smelling like bourbon and cigars,” said one respondent.
“Our survey data supports the perception that American culture is growing increasingly more obsessed with gadgets and their digital lives,” said Victoria Treyger, CMO of RingCentral (News - Alert). “While excessive smartphone use may negatively impact interpersonal relationships, it's a small price to pay for the growth of our economy.”
Meanwhile, IDC predicted that smartphone market is expected to grow 49.2 percent in 2011 as more consumers and enterprise users turn in their feature phones for smartphones with more advanced features.
The report, “Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone (News - Alert) Tracker,” finds that smartphone vendors will ship more than 450 million smartphones in 2011 compared to the 303.4 million units shipped in 2010.
Rajani Baburajan is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Rajani's articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by Jennifer Russell