Half of today’s youth ‘completely lost’ without an internet connection
A study of 2,000 smartphone users has revealed that the younger demographic struggle the most when without an internet connection, with 50% of 18-24 year olds admitting that they would feel “completely lost” if they are out and about and could not get online.
According to a new survey by Telenav, developers of Scout - a free sat nav app with offline
functionality, nearly a third of respondents in the 18-24 age bracket say that they would have little use for a smartphone that didn’t have an internet connection, and 37% say they use an internet connection on their handheld more than any other feature, including making calls.
Socialising is what 18-24 year olds are doing the most – 46% regularly keep in contact with friends through apps like Whatsapp and nearly 30% are frustrated if they can’t access social media accounts such as Facebook or Twitter.
The younger generation is also embracing more practical uses for their handhelds, with 45% using maps on their smartphone to navigate and a third admitting they’d be totally reliant on the internet to find their way around in a new place. With just 15% of respondents admitting to being comfortable getting to a destination by reading road signs and 85% admitting they can’t read maps, it’s no surprise there’s an increasing reliance on online mapping solutions.
But problems arise when there is no access to data. Unsurprisingly a significant number of people get frustrated when 3G/4G isn’t working, and this is a continuous problem as 23% of the UK landmass has no access to 3G at all.
“With so many apps placing a heavy or total reliance on an internet connection we’ve seen how problems can arise when you can’t get online – services that were previously taken for granted suddenly become all but useless, which could leave people in a tight spot” said Marcus Thielking, CEO of Telenav GmbH.
What’s more, a third of respondents rely on an active internet connection to decide the best route from A to B and 35% of UK adults – representative of 16 million people – refuse to pay for expensive online roaming costs, so getting stuck without access is a significant problem. And with widely publicised issues surrounding roaming, sometimes resulting in bills that run into thousands of pounds, it’s one that needs to be addressed.
“Smartphone users, whether young or old, shouldn’t have to worry about running up huge bills or being stuck without vital functionality that they’ve grown to rely on,” Thielking continued. “That’s why apps that also work offline, like free sat nav app Scout, can help eliminate the problems smartphone users face. With Scout, if you lose your internet connection, you won’t lose your way.”