3 minute read
Millennials Don’t Always Follow Common Standards of Smartphone Etiquette
80%
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A strong majority of respondents are aware of what many consider to be common standards of smartphone etiquette. For example, 77.1% of Millennials believe it’s disrespectful to use a smartphone during a meal with others. Another 80.3% believe it’s disrespectful to use a smartphone during a face-to-face conversation.
It's disrespectful to use your smartphone during a meal with others
Strongly Disagree: 1.8%
Disagree: 5.4% It's disrespectful to use your smartphone during a face-to-face conversation Strongly Disagree: 1.6% Disagree: 3.4%
Neutral 15.7%
39.9%
Strongly Agree Neutral 14.7%
42.4%
Agree 37.1%
Agree 37.9%
Strongly Agree
Most Millennials Attempt To Follow Common Standards of Smartphone Etiquette
Just because someone is aware of the existence of common standards of smartphone etiquette, doesn’t mean they necessarily will attempt to comply with those standards. So Millennials--while a strong majority appear to be aware of common standards of smartphone etiquette--do they generally attempt to comply with them? We asked respondents whether they make an effort to put their smartphone away and not use it when generally in the presence of others. A strong majority--71.5%--said they do make such an effort.
30.5%
2.0% 3.4%
Strongly Agree Agree
21.2%
Neutral
41.0%
Disagree Strongly Disagree
Only ⅓ of Millennials Succeed In Following Common Standards of Smartphone Etiquette
Of course, when it comes to questions of etiquette, what ultimately matters is not whether someone is aware of standards of etiquette, or whether they attempt to follow them--but whether they succeed in following them.
To answer this question we presented respondents with a variety of social situations in which it would be obvious that there are times when it would be bad etiquette to use a smartphone. We then asked them to indicate whether they had ever used their smartphone in each social situation at a moment others would consider inappropriate.
Sixty-six point one percent (66.1%) of respondents reported having used their smartphone at a moment others would consider inappropriate in at least one of the presented situations. For example, 34.3% reported having used their smartphone inappropriately during a date, 39.9% during a movie, and 9.6% during a job interview. Only 33% of respondents reported having succeeded in adhering to norms of acceptable smartphone use in every single situation presented to them.
Most Millennials Don’t Say Things On Social Media They Wouldn’t Say In Person
Smartphone etiquette holds as much importance offline as it does online. Most Millennials understand this. More than ½ of respondents (51%) have not said something to someone online that they would not say in person. On the flip side, only 15% of respondents report that they “often” or “always” do this.
How often do you say something to someone online that you know you would not say in-person? NEVER 51% OCCASIONALLY 34% OFTEN 9% VERY OFTEN 4% ALWAYS 1%
In which of the following situations have you used your smartphone at a moment that others would consider inappropriate?
sex 12.5% date 34.3%
Movies in theaters after start 39.9% funeral 13.3%
Job Interview 9.6%
church (or other religious) service 27.8%
other 3.7% have not used smartphone inappropriately 32.9%
There were statistically significant differences between genders:
55% of female respondents reported that they have never said something to someone online that they know they would not say in person, but only 47% of male respondents reported that they have never done this.
Millennials Become Stressed and Anxious Over Notifications 6
Smartphones are hubs of convenience connecting Millennials to so many people in so many ways that the resulting notifications have become unmanageable. As a result, what would seem a typically harmless activity--i.e. using a smartphone--is stressful, and anxiety-inducing. As previously discussed, Millennials check their smartphones very frequently.
Notifications Overwhelm Millennials
Millennials receive so many notifications they can become unmanageable and make them feel “overwhelmed.” This is a daily experience for over ⅓ of Millennials, as 37.5% of respondents feel overwhelmed by notifications one or more times a day.
16.6%
How often do you feel overwhelmed by the
Throughout the day Several times a day Once a day Several times a week Once a week Once a month Less than once a month Never
