ARE YOU READING this on a smartphone? Well there’s a decent chance you are according to a new survey which says that 53 per cent of Irish people now own one.

The new research, which was carried out on behalf of Eircom by Behaviour & Attitudes, reveals that there are 1.7 million smartphone users in Ireland with 25 per cent of  people also having access to a tablet.

The 53 per cent figure represents a steady rise on the figure of 39  per cent from only twelve months ago and is based on a survey of a thousand adults over 16-years-old.

Despite this, a third of Irish people admit to not being able to keep up with new trends. As part of the survey 33 per cent of people agreed with the statement, “I just don’t understand computers and new technology.” This  figure was 75 per cent for those aged over 65 and 7 per cent for young people between 16 and 24.

‘Appy days

Smartphone users have an average 0f 21 apps but respondents say they only use seven at least once a week.  A massive 75 per cent of smartphone users have the Facebook app on their phone with the taxi service Hailo commanding an impressive 41 per cent.

The rise of ‘media stacking’ is one of the major features of the survey with three-quarters (74 per cent) of 16-24 year olds saying they often post or tweet on a different topic while watching TV.

The research also contains some interesting figures about how the prevalence of mobile technology has altered the habits of society. For example:

• Half of 16-34s feel they do not need to ‘look something up in a dictionary’.
• 39 per cent of smartphone users admit being ‘economical’ with the truth on social media.
• 22 per cent admit to using social media to ‘spy’ on the activity of others. Women (26 per cent) are more likely to engage in the practice with 17 per cent of men making the admission.

Clinical psychologist David Coleman worked with Eircom on the survey and says that one of the things that struck him most was how we,  as a nation,  increasingly post or tweet about TV content with numerous devices:

In homes across the country, parents of teenagers, whether they are aware of it or not, now witness the practice of media stacking on a regular basis. The heightened levels of engagement mean that the days of just sitting down to watch TV are gone.

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