Can you live without access to Wi-Fi? For many young adults, the answer is “No”.
Wi-Fi-enabled digital devices are now more central to life than television according to a recent study conducted by Wakefield Research. The study was commissioned by the Wi-Fi Alliance, a group devoted to the proliferation of Wi-Fi.
Wakefield interviewed 1,000 Americans and 400 people from China, Japan, and Korea – all ages 17 to 29. Wi-Fi is seen as a necessity rather than a luxury among the survey respondents. Eighty-seven percent of U.S. respondents and 74 percent of those in China reported they need Wi-Fi access in schools and universities, and more than half of U.S. respondents also cited it as a necessity in restaurants and shopping areas.
In China, 89 percent said doing without Wi-Fi would hurt relationships with friends, and 82 percent said it would damage family relationships.
“These polling results are a strong reflection of both the social and technological orientation of young adults around the world today,” commented Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst at Parks Associates.
The Alliance is preparing to unveil Wi-Fi Direct in a few weeks. It’s a new standard that will allow devices like cameras, cell phones and computers to talk to each other without needing to connect to a wireless network first.
Not only is Wi-Fi now in nearly every smart phone sold, but in almost every handheld game, tablet, notebook computer, or laptop computer on the market.
