Friday 30 May 2008
A major survey carried out by Ipsos MORI and commissioned by BT reveals that the technological advances people hoped for ten years ago have become the reality today and that we are already living in the technological utopia envisaged in 1998.
The BT 21st Century Life Index Report shows that today people are able to access the information they need, when they want and where they want and that people have made their lives easier by tailoring a wealth of information and services to suit their needs. The functionality that people desired from the Internet in 1998 has now become the norm, with users seeing direct benefits to the way they live their lives today.
The report offers many examples of how perceptions 10 years ago have become today's reality and that, like it or not, we are living in a techno age that is advancing rapidly. The report takes its findings from a significant survey of a large cross-section of the British public and compares the results with those from 10 years ago. The findings clearly point to the fact that modern communication has evolved to suit society's needs and the next generation consumer is evolving along with these changes.
Over the past ten years the way in which we use the Internet has shifted dramatically. In 1998 44% of people online used the Internet to regularly stay in touch with friends and family, ten years on and that figure has risen to 74% of us who now stay in touch over the net.
But despite advances in technology and communication tools, results show the preferred method of communication is still face-to-face. In fact, this is even more popular today with 68% of people preferring face-to-face contact compared with 51% ten years ago.
Perhaps surprisingly, it seems that the telephone has become a less popular communication tool in 2008, whereas in 1998 36% of respondents preferred this method compared with only 18% in 2008. In contrast, email has jumped in popularity since 1998 when only 1% cited this as a preferred method with the figure rising to 7% in 2008.
46% of the country in 1998 wanted instant access to travel timetables and in the last three months, 43% of consumers say they have accessed exactly that, going online and downloading the travel information they needed.
Other desirable services in 1998 like shopping (36%) and the ability to access information services (44%), mirror perfectly how contemporary consumers are using the Internet: 41% of consumers have shopped online in the last three months and 43% of consumers have checked out information services.
A significant piece of research that is set to be released in full over the next few months, the BT 21st Century Life Index was conducted in January 2008 by Ipsos MORI through over 2000 face to face interviews of a sample representative of Britain's 46 million population.
What the research highlights is that people are tailoring modern technology to suit their needs and that info lust has created a society that allows everyone to remain up to date with the latest news, information and shopping, sounding the death knell for traditional services like the High St. travel agent.
The scale of our reliance on the Internet is reflected in the fact that the proportion of the country who are now spending more than 5 hours per week online has doubled in the last 10 years from just 24% in 1998 to 57% in 2008. The average number of websites a person visits in any one week has also risen dramatically, with 19% of internet users now visiting more than 20 different sites.
Social networking online is increasingly the norm now, with 25% of internet users interacting with these sites in 2008. But by far the biggest users of social networking are the 16-24 year olds (58%) followed by 25-35 year olds (39%).
Commenting on the findings, Alnoor Samji, Director, Ipsos MORI, noted: "The results from BT's 21st Century Life Index Report reveal how consumers have steadily shifted their communications habits over the last 10 years from exclusively voice and mobile, to email on the move - as well as much greater interaction with social networking sites - to help them stay in touch with friends and family.
Consumers are telling us that instead of carrying around lots of different devices, what many really want is one communications tool that allows consumers to send emails, IM, make calls, access social networking sites and information online while out and about.
So looking at these current trends and how they might unfold over the next 5 years, could this spell the death of text messaging as we know it?"
In the wake of these findings, BT Total Broadband Anywhere launched last week, an all-inclusive package which offers a free, internet-capable smartphone - the BT ToGo - worth around £150, and BT's Total Broadband service in the home.
From £23.99 per month1, only £5 more than the price of BT Total Broadband Option 3, the new BT Total Broadband Anywhere option delivers the most complete broadband experience, both at home and out and about - for surfing the web, sending and receiving e-mails, making calls or texting.
John Petter, managing director, Consumer at BT said: "BT commissioned this report to better understand the changing relationship we have with technology and online services across the country and learn more about what today's consumers expect from the next generation of technology. "
"Broadband Anywhere customers get the total broadband experience - BT's top-of-the-range broadband service at home, and a free BT ToGo smartphone for when out and about or on the move."
"Communications services are converging, and it is clear that customers want consistent access to the things that matter not only at home, but in the palm of their hands wherever they are. When shopping, waiting for a train or having a coffee, Broadband Anywhere enables you to read e-mails, check the football score or compare prices."
Through the 21st Life Index Report,ã BT has identified the need to develop and offer a complete communications service to provide solutions to the needs of today's consumer. BT firmly believe that 21CN range of services will allow the UK to remain at the vanguard of modern technology through the convergence of every aspect of the communications service into one, essential package.