KUALA LUMPUR, 26 ARPIL 2018 – A recent British Airways study found that making mix tapes, printing photographs and sending love letters are among the tasks replaced by technology which we miss doing. The poll of 2,000 adults in the UK revealed a string of once-everyday tasks which have been replaced by the rise of technology, Wi-Fi and smart phones.
Carrying a portable CD player, owning an encyclopedia and being able to remember phone numbers of loved ones off-by-heart are also among the things that technology has made easier, but that we wish hadn’t fallen victim to the online boom.
However, 51 per cent admit they don’t miss having to queue in a post office to renew their road tax.
Making a mix tape is the activity people miss doing the most followed by putting photos into an album and recording TV shows and films onto VHS. Having physical photos printed out and the excitement of taking in a film to be developed before you see how they came out completed the top five. Writing a letter came sixth, with sending love letters and post cards following close behind. Having a pen pal came ninth while having a CD collection was at 10.
The British Airways commissioned study found that 58 per cent of people revealed that the majority of their activities now rely heavily on technology. The average adult spends over four hours of each day on the internet, with almost one in five admitting they are never more than a few feet away from an internet-enabled device.
Fifty-four per cent of those polled said that being able to connect to Wi-Fi is important when travelling to keep them content at all times. It also emerged that reliance on the internet and technology has made life much easier, with 48 per cent of those polled saying there is now less need to know their timetables off by heart and 43 per cent don’t miss having to fax documents.
The need to reverse charges in payphones to make a call, paying bills at the post office or in the bank and having to book tickets for events over the phone are also things people are glad to see the back of.
The study, carried out via OnePoll.com revealed more than one in 10 would feel lost if they were unable to go online, while 26 per cent would feel completely cut-off.
Two thirds say they are often looking for Wi-Fi hotspots when they are away from home, with the average adult admitting they would struggle to last longer than seven hours without the internet before they started to feel anxious.
Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ director of brand and customer experience, said “Technology and the internet has evolved so much in recent years that tasks we once considered to be regular parts of our day are now done for us online. The results show us how dependent we have become on the internet and being connected at all times – even while travelling.
“We know how cut-off people can feel if they can’t get online, and we are happy to announce that by 2019, we expect to have 90 per cent of our aircraft connected with the latest generation of Wi-Fi, and customers will be notified once on board a connected flight.”
The survey also found that 40 per cent of Brits would use one hour of Wi-Fi on a flight to check social media, 37 per cent said they would e-mail friends and family and three in ten would read the news. Others would do online shopping, download and listen to music and watch catch-up TV.
British Airways is investing £4.5 billion for its customers over the next five years, covering the installation of the best quality Wi-Fi and power in every seat, fitting 128 long-haul aircraft with new interiors and taking delivery of 72 new aircraft. The airline is also investing £600 million specifically in its Club World business class. In addition to the new catering and luxurious White Company bedding, a new seat with direct aisle access will also be introduced in 2019.
Filed in: British Airways / Survey
