Vivo on Monday announced the findings of the second edition of the study titled ‘Smartphones and their impact on human relationships 2020’. The report highlighted the impact of mobile devices on consumers in this year of social distancing. The study evaluates various dimensions of increasing smartphone usage — the degree of usage, the repercussions of the lockdown on usage patterns, impact on personal health, and social relationships.
The study revealed that 66% of Indians believe that their smartphone makes their quality of life better. Still, 70% of Indians feel that if their smartphone usage continues on its upward journey, it is likely to affect their mental/physical health. Additionally, 74% of respondents expressed that periodically switching off their mobile phones can help them spend more time with family. However, only 18 % of users have actually adopted this on their own.
The findings also suggested how smartphones are the main centre of decision-making for everything that consumers do. This includes a 25% increase in average daily time spent on the smartphone post-COVID-19 era. Indians are using smartphones more since lockdown (April 2020) — OTT (59%), social media (55%), and gaming (45%). Furthermore, 79% of users agree that a smartphone aids them to stay connected, while 66% of users agree that smartphones step up the overall quality of life.
88% of users agree that people criticise them for using the phone when they are with them, while 46% of people reach out for the phone at least five times in an hour-long conversation. 77% of users feel excessive use of smartphones is detrimental to their mental and physical health. And, 84% of users pick up their phones within 15 minutes of waking up.
The report stated that smartphones are affecting human behaviour and relationships to a large extent; 89% of users feel that excessive use of smartphones is having an impact on the quality of time they spend with their loved ones. And, 74% of users feel that a life apart from smartphones should be focussed, while 70% of users feel that mindless usage of smartphones is adversely impacting their relationships.
The study was commissioned by Vivo and executed by CyberMedia Research (CMR), market research and advisory firm, across the top eight cities in India viz, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Pune. The report addresses the following age-groups and demographics: youth, working professionals, and housewives spanning the age groups of 15 to 45. The total number of respondents was 2000.
