Poor etiquette by mobile users is rampant and getting worse every day as use of smartphones and other wireless devices continues to mushroom, according to an Ipsos survey of U.S. adults.
The survey found that 75 per cent of the 2,000 adults surveyed believe mobile manners have worsened since 2009. And more than 90 per cent said they have witnessed first-hand poor mobile behavior — activities ranging from texting while driving or walking to talking on a mobile phone in a public restroom.
Some 19 per cent of the repondents admitted having poor mobile habits themselves, but continued such activities because others were doing the same thing.
The survey, sponsored by Intel, was conducted from Dec. 10, 2010 to Jan. 5, 2011.
Intel, which makes processors that are used in some mobile devices, said the survey is part of its research into how people use technology to drive innovation. The company sponsored a similar survey in 2009.
Genevieve Bell, an Intel fellow who heads up research into human interactions and experience at Intel Labs, noted that because mobile technology is still fairly new, “it’s no surprise that people still struggle with how to best integrate these devices into their lives.
“New digital technologies are becoming a mainstay in consumers’ lives, but we haven’t yet worked out for ourselves, our families, communities and societies what all the right kinds of behaviors and expectations will be,” Bell added. The survey also found that:
U.S. adults see an average of five mobile “offenses,” including the use of mobile devices while driving or talking loudly on a mobile phone in public, every day.
One in five adults admit to checking a mobile device before getting out of bed in the morning.
Of the 91 per cent of respondents who reported seeing offenses, 56 per cent saw car drivers using a mobile device, 48% saw people using one in a restroom, 32% saw them used in movie theaters and 9% saw the devices used by people on a honeymoon.
Nearly 25 per cent of U.S. adults say they have seen a person use a laptop computer while driving.
