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28th October - Today’s digital nation is
communicating more frequently than ever, particularly via
email. But, 90 per cent of people feel that email, text messages
and instant messaging has made communication with friends
and family less personal. According to the recent study by
PlusNet, one third of people in the UK feel that their relationships
with friends and family have suffered, because they don’t
chat with each other enough.
The study into communication habits revealed that although
email has become the most popular method of communication
with friends and family, with 81 per cent of respondents using
it, 41 per cent of people would prefer to receive a phone
call.
“With the explosion of email, texts and IM, people are
shying away from making phone calls, said Neil Armstrong,
Head of Marketing, PlusNet. “When you’re busy, it’s
tempting to send an email or text, rather than pick up the
phone. While there’s time and place for each of these
methods, undeniably it’s a personal phone call that keeps
friends and family together”.
The demands of modern life have deeply impacted personal
relations and communication with loved ones due to hectic
schedules. Despite mobile phones and the internet, nearly
50 per cent of people felt that they have less time to keep
in touch with friends and family now than in the past. Nearly
seven in ten people blamed longer working hours for this lack
of time. More than a quarter of people feel pressure to spend
more quality time communicating with friends and family, but
many complain about the cost of calls. PlusNet believes the
answer is making free calls over the internet (known as Voice
over IP or VoIP).
“When it’s so easy to make free phone calls over
the internet using your broadband line, there’s no excuse
for not ringing your friends and family more often,”
added Armstrong.
Other communication trends revealed by the PlusNet research
included a high proportion of people resorting to using email,
text and IM in situations where they are trying to avoid confrontation
or find communication uneasy. Forty per cent of respondents
found new technologies less confrontational and used them
to flirt (27 per cent), apologise for missed birthdays (22
per cent), and to inform their employers about being sick
(19 per cent).
The PlusNet survey that polled 3,250 people across the UK
included was carried out from 3 – 15 October, 2005.
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