Vivo on Monday announced the findings of the second edition of its study titled ‘Smartphones and their impact on human relationships 2020’.
The report showcased the impact of mobile devices on consumers in this year of social distancing.
The study evaluates various dimensions of increasing smartphone usage — the extent of usage, the impact of the lockdown on usage patterns, impact on personal health, and social relationships.
The study revealed that 66 per cent of Indians believe that their smartphone improves their quality of life. Still, a 70 per cent of Indians feel that if their smartphone usage continues increasing, it is likely to impact their mental/physical health.
Additionally, 74 per cent of respondents said that periodically switching off their mobile phones can help them spend more time with family. However, only 18 per cent of users have actually switched off their phones on their own.
Commenting on the report, Nipun Marya, Director-Brand Strategy, Vivo India, said: “Amidst the socially distant lives that the pandemic pushed us to lead, the smartphone emerged as the central nervous system for everything — be it working or learning from home or staying connected with friends and family.
He added: “However, while smartphones have given much-needed flexibility to people, excessive use has led to addiction among users, and that, in turn, is impacting human relationships and behaviour.”
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Essential need
The findings also suggested how smartphones are the central nervous system for everything that consumers do. This includes a 25 per cent increase in average daily time spent on the smartphone post-Covid era. Indians are spending more time on smartphones since lockdown (April 2020) — OTT (59 per cent), social media (55 per cent), and gaming (45 per cent).
Furthermore, 79 per cent of users agree that a smartphone helps them stay connected with their loved ones. While 66 per cent of users agree that smartphones improve the overall quality of life
While the smartphone emerged as a necessity and gave much-needed flexibility to people, its excessive usage has triggered addiction. Eighty-eight per cent of users agree that people call them out for using the phone when they are with them, while 46 per cent of people pick up the phone at least five times in an hour-long conversation.
Seventy per cent of users feel excessive use of smartphones is impacting their mental and physical health. And, 84 of users check their phones within 15 minutes of waking up.
Impact on relationships
The report stated that smartphones are impacting human behaviour and relationships to a large extent; 89 per cent of users agree that excessive use of smartphones is having an impact on the quality of time spent with their loved ones.
And, 74 per cent of users feel that it is important to have a life separate from their smartphones. While 70 per cent 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 cuts across age-groups and demographics: youth, working professionals, and housewives spanning the age groups of 15 to 45. The total number of respondents was 2000.
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