BlackBerrys and Cell Phones Turning Americans Into E-Mail Addicts
The results were surprising. Even though teens seem to be gravitating towards instant- and text-messaging as their primary form of communication, adults are e-mailing more than ever. One of the big reasons seems to be portable devices, since the survey revealed that the number of people checking their e-mail on portable devices (like BlackBerrys and iPhones) has more than doubled since 2004. The survey showed that the average e-mail user checks his or her e-mail five times a day and that 59 percent of those with said portable devices check every time a message arrives.
And that's just during the day: A whopping 43 percent of survey respondents bring their BlackBerrys or handhelds to bed with them, so they can check messages at night! Crazy. Even we don't do that here at Switched.
Meanwhile, the most e-mail addicted city in the country turns out to be Washington, D.C., followed closely by Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, and Houston. (Surprisingly, tech-centric city Seattle scores 7th in the rankings.)
In the coming days, Switched.com will bring you the full exclusive results of the survey. We'll be posting every day, so come back to this page to find out more. To kick things off, we present the following:
43% of E-Mail Users Sleep With Their Cell Phones
Step aside ham and cheese sandwich, there's a new midnight snack in town!
E-Mail Addiction: Battle of the Sexes!
Which sex do you think is more likely to refer to its inbox as 'The Chronic'?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Spavelous @ Aug 6th 2007 3:25PM
It isn't just e-mails, it is the RSS feeds and the information that keeps you on top of what is going on in your industry, business trends, personal interests. Why spend time reading a newspaper, when you can have the top news sent to you and already screened based on your preferences.
it is the information age. However, when you go to the spa leave your cell phones, computers, e-mails, text messages off and in the locker room, at some point you need to relax, rest, and recuperate. The need is demonstrated wit the new spa services coming up to treat blackberry thumb. http://www.spavelous.com will help you to find the spa that is right for you to repair those tired eyes and fingers.
Sue @ Aug 6th 2007 4:49PM
Yes, I totally agree. Fake Buddy is why we are so addicted.
Mike T @ Aug 6th 2007 7:06PM
I have a fake buddy and I am constantly checking my email. That website is awesome!!!
Marilyn @ Jul 31st 2008 6:56AM
This article might have been more valuable had the author connected the dots by examining the reasons behind the need. In my opinion we are becoming an ever more needy herd of humanity. We need to know someone cares, or that we're popular or that we haven't been ignored or forgotten...that we aren't alone.It has become a constant and insatiable need and technology feeds on it..uses it to sell even more product.It is a sad statement of our insecurity. It it the same psychological weakness that has robbed us of our individuality and prods us to copy the language trends of the day so that we feel like one of the herd. There is no other reason for words like "awesome"(which is finally getting stale) or "like, I mean, you know, basically" fillers to get stuck in our conversation like we don't have a million other words at our disposal. Maybe we really are descended from apes and can't escape a genetic defect.
marilyn suzanne @ Jul 31st 2008 7:02AM
BTW, the proper word is "take" their Blackberries to bed...not "bring" their Blackberries to bed.