Women's Relationship with Technology

WOMEN AND TECHNOLOGY THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY In a joint poll, Real Simple and The Huffington Post asked 3,583 women how smartphones and social media affect their lives. (Most participants were over the age of 30, and about half have children.) Here's the tweet-able truth.* ILLUSTRATIONS BY OLIVER MUNDAY Women use their devices in some questionable locations. 47% keep their smartphones on their night- stands so they can check them first thing in the morning. 5% sleep with their phones in their beds. 76% of respondents say they check their smartphones at least once an hour. OF THOSE, ALMOST HALF SNEAK A PEEK EVERY 15 MINUTES (OR EVEN MORE FREQUENTLY). 39% + look at their phones in the bathroom. THIS IS SERIOUS 3-4 SEX ALMOST HALF (48%) OF RESPONDENTS SAY THEY WOULD RATHER GO WITHOUT in women admit they've 56% TEXTED WHILE DRIVING. OF WOMEN KEEP THEIR SMART- PHONES NEAR ENOUGH TO HEAR DURING DINNER. ANOTHER 12% ACTUALLY SET THEM ON THE TABLE. "I bought a waterproof case so I could check my news feeds in the shower." FOR A MONTH THAN WITHOUT THEIR SMARTPHONES. 66% WOULD PREFER BEING WITHOUT THEIR PHONES FOR A MONTH THAN WITHOUT THEIR BEST FRIENDS. (APPARENTLY GIRLS' NIGHT OUT IS MORE SATISFYING THAN A ROLL IN THE HAY.) OF RESPONDENTS 74% SAY THEY ARE AFTER NOT ADDICTED TO ALL THIS, THEIR DIGITAL 39% say they wait for a red light to text. DEVICES. (DENIAL?) 80 "Social media has hurt my relationship with distracted!" my partner because he spends too much time using it." "It is easier to network." "I'm more "It has made me reevaluate my friends." "The postings of articles and other information have enriched my professional lífe." PERCENT HAVE CONSIDERED TAKING THEMSELVES OFF FACEBOOK, TWITTER, OR ANOTHER SOCIAL- "I'm more available, but that's not necessarily a good thing." "I'm unnecessarily informed about people I wouldn't necessarily talk to." MEDIA PLATFORM AT SOME POINT, AND 41% OF THOSE HAVE "Life is more frivolous." "Life is more robotic." GONE THROUGH WITH IT. WHY? How respondents say their lives have changed because of social media "It's more work!" "I get to see pictures of my grandchild as soon as they're posted. "It's taken the "I was acting like a teenager." • "Too much drama." • "I aggravation out of waiting-in grocery lines, at the doctor's office, etc." didn't care about "Life is more convenient." "It's reconnected me with long-lost friends and made it easy to keep up with relatives who live far away." "I've lost faith in the future of humanity... and realized how illiterate my acquaintances are." hearing other people's random thoughts." • "It created a sense of community and support." • "I for Lent!" "It's less "I read fewer books." "It's less boring." gave it up • "I realized I was more personal." In getting home to harvest my crops on FarmVille than in what was telling me over lunch" • "#Too many interested in my friend darn #hashtags were driving me #crazy!" • "It was making me jealous of others, and I was trying to make WHEN USING SOCIAL MEDIA, WOMEN FEEL... f them Jealous of me." in HOW DO YOU "LIKE" THAT? WHEN FORCED TO CHOOSE JUST ONE SOCIAL-MEDIA PLATFORM,57% PICKED FACEBOOK. TO SEE THE COMPLETE POLL IRSI RESULTS, scan this page, or go to realsimple.com/poll. DESPITE MIXED EMOTIONS, FEW WOMEN LONG FOR THE GOOD OLD DAYS. WHEN ASKED IF THEY WOULD GO BACK TO THE PRE-INTERNET ERA IF THEY COULD, 71% SAID NO. *This survey was conducted online by Polldaddy, from October 7, 2013, to October 18, 2013. 19% CONNECTED 19% ENTERTAINED 19% INFORMED 9% BORED OVERWHELMED INSPIRED 6% RELAXED 5w INADEQUATE 4% JEALOUS ISOLATED