Smartphones hit the spot for 18-30

According to the 2012 Cisco Connected World Technology Report (CCWTR), smartphones now rival laptops as the single most desired device by 18-30 year olds as they are seen as the most versatile and compact.

The results for South Africa are based on a survey commissioned by Cisco of 1800 university students and young professionals aged 18 to 30 across 18 countries. The report examines how this generation uses the Internet and mobile devices to connect with the world around them, and reveals their behaviours, attitudes, issues, and concerns about the creation, access, management, and privacy of the enormous amounts of data being generated daily by smartphones, sensors, video cameras, monitors, and other connected devices.

Key Findings in South Africa from the 2012 Cisco Connected World Technology Report

Connected or addicted?

· Sixty-four percent of the South African respondents find themselves sub-consciously or compulsively checking their smartphones for emails, texts or social media updates.

· Of those, women are more driven to connect: 74 percent of women versus 58 percent of men find themselves often compulsively checking their cellphone for text, emails, social media updates.

¬∑ 44 percent of respondents would ‚”feel anxious, like part of me was missing‚” if they couldn’t check their smartphones or cellphones constantly.

¬∑ Of those compulsive smart phone users, 69 percent wish they didn’t feel so compelled.

Globally, Information Technology professionals are even more connected

¬∑ Almost one third of IT professionals stated they check their smartphones ‚’continuously’

· While 40 percent of IT professionals check at least every 10 minutes.

Not just text and email: The Apps revolution

· Seventy-one percent of the respondents said mobile applications are important to their daily lives.

· More than half (51 percent) said they mainly use mobile applications for games and entertainment.

· Yet one in five (21 percent) mainly use mobile applications for work.

How many apps do you need?

Vendors advertise thousands of applications in their app stores, but are they being used? Of all those apps being downloaded daily, a surprisingly low number are actually used on a regular basis.

· The majority of the South African Gen Y respondents (81 percent) report using fewer than 10 smartphone apps regularly.

· Only 13 percent of respondents said they use 10 to 25 apps regularly.

For the ‚”always-connected‚” generation

A single mobile device will do, whether it is a personal device or a company-owned device, which can create challenges for the IT managers who must safeguard company assets and information.

¬∑ Almost one-third (32 percent) said their company’s policy forbids them to use company-issued devices for non-work activities, yet 69 percent said they don’t always obey those policies.

· In South Africa, 72 percent of information technology professionals believe employees are obeying policies designed to prevent work devices being used for personal use.

Online shopping trends for 18-30 year olds

· Sixty-nine percent of South African 18-30 year olds surveyed said they engage in online shopping.

· Over three out of five (65 percent) report they regularly rely on customer reviews when deciding on online purchases: an additional 28 percent consult online reviews occasionally.

· Fifty-nine percent almost 3 out of five are willing to share their email address with stores and online sites in order to receive notices about discounts and sales. But they are wary of sharing much more than that few are willing to share phone numbers, home address or other personal data.

Fueling the world’s data

· Facing the world: 95 percent of South African 18-30 year olds surveyed reported having a Facebook account.

· One-third of the respondents update their Facebook site at least once a day, and over a quarter (28 percent) update Facebook several times a day.

· Ninety-three percent upload photos to share or store on internet sites.

· Sixty-three percent upload videos to share or store on internet sites.

· Sixty-four percent of respondents have a Twitter account, and 15 percent tweet at least once a day.

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