Just how important is Internet access? If you had the choice to live in a mansion without Internet, or live in an apartment with Wi-FI, which would you choose? What about food? Would you eat ramen every night to keep your Wi-Fi running, or would you ditch the connection for a nice, juicy porterhouse steak? The answer might surprise you. According to a UK-based study done by TP-Link, a substantial amount of people believe their Internet access is more important than food or shelter.
First off, this isn’t the entire world we’re talking about. The study was comprised of 3,000 men and women between the ages of 18 and 55 living in the U.K. and Ireland. Still, it gives us some pretty interesting insight into how people view Internet access in the modern era. According to the study, 50 percent of the individuals interviewed dedicated more time to the Internet than to food and sleep. Forty-two percent of the males interviewed stated that having an Internet connection was more important than food and shelter, although an “active love life” was still considered a top priority.
The test revealed some interesting societal-based results. According to the study, 51 percent of individuals improved friendships thanks to Internet access, while one quarter of the group reported feeling a better “sense of belonging.” However, you shouldn’t think the Internet will realistically help your love life; only 7 percent of those interviewed stated that the Web helped them find loving relationships.
One thing was made abundantly clear by the study: people don’t like to lose their access to the Internet. Of the 3,000 people interviewed, 82 percent stated that they felt anger and frustration when their Internet connection cut out or failed to connect. We’re sure you’ve all been there at some point though, especially when you really need to get something done and we get hit with that ever-so-ugly “webpage cannot be loaded” screen.
So what does this study prove? We live in a technology-driven world, one that is becoming increasingly more Web-based. This is a truth made more evident by other studies, like how our society receives its news. Smartphones and other mobile devices have unlocked our Internet access even more, allowing us to skim websites, social media outlets, and everything in between, on the go and without much restriction.
As stated before, this was just a sample of 3,000 people and should in no way reflect the opinion of all Internet users. Still, it’s pretty interesting to see how certain people view the Internet and it’s surprising how many people would choose a solidified Web connection over basic human necessities like food and shelter. What side of the fence do you find yourself on?
Photo via TP-Link
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