Gen Y in committed relationship with smartphones: Cisco

• 40% of IT professionals said they check their smartphones at least every 10 minutes
• 66% feel that 'employers should not track employees’ online activities -- it’s none of their business.'

THE intense and inseparable relationship the Generation Y segment has with their smartphones and staying connected was further underlined by the findings of a recent survey by Cisco.
 
According to the 2012 Cisco Connected World Technology Report (CCWTR), 90% of Gen Y surveyed worldwide said they check their smartphones for updates in email, texts and social media sites, often before they get out of bed.
 
Two out of five said they “would feel anxious, like part of me is missing,” if they couldn’t use their smartphones to stay connected.
 
CCWTR was based on a survey conducted by Insight Express of 1,800 college students and young professionals aged 18 to 30 across 18 countries, and examine how Gen Y uses the Internet and mobile devices to connect with the world around them.
 
The report reveals their behaviour and attitudes about the creation, access and privacy of the enormous amounts of data being generated daily by smartphones, sensors, video cameras, monitors and other connected devices.
 
Mobile devices are just the beginning, according to Cisco. As more and more people, processes, data and things join and interact on the ‘Internet of Everything,’ the volume and potential value of all the data generated by those connections grow exponentially.
 
The findings of CCWTR were wide ranging and included insights into the following (see infographic):
 
The ‘always-connected’ generation

• Nine of 10 respondents globally will get dressed, brush their teeth and want to check their smartphones as part of the morning ritual for getting ready for school or work.
• Globally, one in five checks a smartphone for email, text and social media updates at least every 10 minutes. In the U.S., two out of five check at least once every 10 minutes.
• One-third of respondents check their smartphones at least once every 30 minutes; in the U.S., that figure jumps to more than 50%.
• Almost one third of IT professionals stated they check their smartphones “continuously” while 40% of IT professionals said they check their smartphones at least every 10 minutes. 

The app addiction

• Nearly 70% of the Gen Y respondents said mobile applications are important to their daily lives.
• More than half said they mainly use mobile applications for games and entertainment.
• One in four (27%) mainly use mobile applications for work.
• Majority of Gen Y respondents (70%) report using fewer than 10 smartphone apps regularly.
• Only one in four (24%) respondents said they use 10 to 25 apps regularly

None of your business

• While two out of five said their company’s policy forbids them to use company-issued devices for non-work activities, nearly three out of four (71%) said they don’t always obey those policies.
• Two-thirds (66%) feel that 'employers should not track employees’ online activities -- it’s none of their business.'
• IT professionals know that many employees don’t follow the rules, but they don’t understand how prevalent it is. Over half of IT professionals globally thought their employees obey the policy on not using work devices for personal use.

Online shopping

• Nine out of 10 Gen Y surveyed said they engage in online shopping.
• Nearly three out of five (58%) report they regularly rely on customer reviews when deciding on online purchases; an additional 28% consult online reviews occasionally.
• 57% - 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 number, home address or other personal data.

Fuelling the world’s data

• Almost 90% upload photos to share or store on Internet sites.
• 62% upload videos to share or store on Internet sites.
• 87% have a Facebook account, and one in 10 have Facebook always up
• 41% update Facebook at least once a day, and over one in five update Facebook several times a day.
• 56% of respondents have a Twitter account, and 21% tweet at least once a day.

Next Page: Breaking down Malaysia’s Gen Y