New global research from CommScope underscores why Generation Z is the most technology intimate and connection dependent in history, with unique viewpoints and expectations for the devices, technologies and people they depend on for their always-on lifestyle, the company said.
The research, involving 4,003 advanced technology users aged 13 to 22 in eight major cities around the world–also revealed that:
Nearly two-thirds feel that the “age of privacy is over” and that nothing they do online is private, although most try to protect their personal privacy at all costs.
Their number one desired career was to be a famous YouTuber, followed by a cutting-edge software developer and Twitter celebrity with over one million followers.
The heaviest users check their smartphones more than 30 times an hour.
Gen Zers are increasingly prolific content creators and share that content freely with others via their networked devices.
More than 50 percent say Internet access (or lack thereof) impacts who they socialize with and 49 percent saying it influences what products they purchase.
Gen Zers are far happier with their smartphones than with their service providers.
More than 60 percent of respondents are dissatisfied with their network connectivity when away from home, where they consider connectivity crucial to their lifestyles.
The extensive research findings and in-person interviews, available at http://www.commscope.com/insights, showed three significant outcomes in terms of how this technology-intimate age group relates to the technology they use and rely on:
Gen Z sees time as a form of currency, using their connected devices to spend, save and waste time. As the always-on generation, technology runs as an appendage or extension of their very identity. That identity is showcased through the apps where they spend the most time — YouTube, WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram.
Through their connected devices, Gen Zers exist in a virtualized world where expression, enhancement and entertainment dominates. The smartphone is their social hub and the epicenter of how they conduct their lives, and they feel safe and adept in this highly connected, content-sharing world. Because they are so hyperconnected, it isn´t surprising that 63 percent say it would be extremely difficult to live without their smartphone.
Smart, opinionated and attached, Gen Z finds fulfillment in their devices. Their smartphones make them feel secure and they form rituals and habits related to using their devices more and more. Technology is essentially an indistinguishable part of their very identity and intertwined in their daily lives. Prioritizing longer battery life, more memory/storage and faster Internet speeds highlights their obsessive relationship with their device.
CommScope, partnering with an independent market research firm, conducted research in early 2017 with 4,003 respondents between the ages of 13-22 in eight global markets including New York, Buenos Aires, London, Berlin, Bangalore, Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo. The participants self-identified as a frequent user of smartphones, checking at least five times an hour, and agreed that they are among the first of their friends to get the latest technology.
CommScope (NASDAQ: COMM) helps design, build and manage wired and wireless networks around the world. As a communications infrastructure leader, we shape the always-on networks of tomorrow. For more than 40 years, our global team of greater than 20,000 employees, innovators and technologists have empowered customers in all regions of the world to anticipate what´s next and push the boundaries of what´s possible. Discover more at www.commscope.com.
Here’s today’s question: how much are you dependant on your internet connection, smartphone or social networks?
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Robert
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