New Yahoo! mail research on how we keep in touch says social networks have changed Britain into ‘Generation 140′. Over 10% of Britons surveyed have said or heard ‘I love you’ for the first time over a social network. Nearly 20% check their social networks and emails on the loo, while 54% do the same from bed.
Contrary to popular belief, Generation 140 is not just young people who’ve changed the way they keep in touch, yahoo said in the report.
So what characterises Generation 140? The Yahoo! survey showed:
• The birth of a phenomenon: A staggering 40% of people surveyed in the UK have learnt via a social network that a friend or relative has given birth, more than anywhere else in Europe
• Get a room. Or an email account: 13% of Britons polled heard or said I love you for the first time via a social network, rising to 16% among 16-24yr olds. Plus 3% of Brits included in the survey have even received a marriage proposal online
• Log-in: 19% of those surveyed claim to check their social networks on the toilet (more than any other European nation), and 54% click away in bed!
• Up close and personal: Despite Generation 140’s apparent desire to share their most personal moments with an audience, nearly two thirds of people (62%) of those surveyed in the UK say they would prefer to receive an email with personal news as opposed to a mass update
This idea of Generation 140 wanting to have its cake and eat it – share with an audience but at the same time keep the most personal content for emails – came through strongly in Yahoo!’s research:
• More than 1 in 5 said the most touching message they had ever received was via email; less than 5% said it was in a social network message
• 34% of Britons surveyed admit to being upset when discovering friends and family have revealed personal news online
• Forced to choose, more Brits would take their email account to a desert island with them rather than a social media profile.
Andrew Molyneux, Yahoo!’s mail product manager said: “Yahoo!’s New Mail has been designed with the insight that social networks are perfect for sharing with your wider circle of friends- but that only mail will do for the more personal conversation. We know you want both – and rather than have to keep different tabs open on your browser, we’ve made it easy by putting them in one place”
Methodology
Yahoo surveyed 8,818 people in Germany, UK, Spain, France and Italy. The research investigated people’s use of online communication tools such as social networks and email to find out what types of conversations people are having online and which types of conversation people thought are appropriate for which channels. It revealed how communication is changing, with certain personal conversations taking the form of short public messages – unveiling what Yahoo has termed “Generation 140”
Source: yahoo.co.uk/newyahoomail
