Internet on Your Laptop A Big Hit!

Although the history of the internet in India dates back to 1995, yet in little more than 15 years time Indians have become more than used to the internet technology. The Cisco Connected World Technology Report discusses the findings for 1,441 students (age 1824) and 1,412 young employees (age 2129) who shared their perceptions on the importance of the internet and technology in their day-to-day life.

The survey was translated and fielded in 14 countries to gain approximately 100 completes for each sub-group in each country. The respondents were college graduates (or higher) and full-time employees in a non-IT role. These employees were neither from a market research company or the non-profit industry and works for the organizations that employs at least 10 people worldwide. For most students and employees, internet is their primary source of information and news and an integral part of their daily life.

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Information and News Source

While more than one-third (35%) of college students from India primarily gets information and news by using internet on their laptop, whereas the count in China is 67%the highest among all 14 participating countries. Television, which was once the primary source of information and news, seems to be losing ground with students. Only 17% of Indian college students use television as a primary source of information and news. In China, watching news on television seems to be an outdated concept already, with only 2% of the college students using the medium as a source of information and news.

As for young employees, while most rely on laptop or desktop computers for information and news, more than 1 in 4 employees in France get what they need from TV, and roughly 1 in 4 employees in Australia get their information and news from their smartphone. With Indian employees though, their laptops remain the primary source for getting information and news, followed by newspapers, magazines, or books in print. While some might argue that the print medium will soon be extinct, about 18 % (highest among all 14 participating countries) of young Indian professionals still depend on it as a primary source of information and news.

Technology in Daily Life

Todays students, whether studying in the field of technology or not, are sure tech-savvy. Fifty percent of the Indian college-going students indicated that their laptop is the most important tool in their daily life. Similar results can be seen among students all over the world. Furthermore, about one-third of the college students in Spain and the UK consider their smartphone as the most important tool in their daily life.

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The survey proved that smartphone penetration is highest in the US and Australia with 37% and 42% of young professionals, respectively, indicating that smartphone is the most important tool in their daily life; and 23% of Australian employees use it as the primary source for getting information and news daily.

Online or In-store?

Even though online shopping is becoming increasingly popular around the world, the majority (61%) of college students indicated that they shop more in person rather than online. This shows the need for the online portals to gain customer confidence by offering stronger logistics and taking better care of the fulfillment factor involved with online shopping. Nevertheless, in Brazil, China, and Germany more than half of students prefer shopping online instead of in person.

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Overall, both college students and end users indicated that their computer, specifically their laptop, is their primary way of getting information and news. More than half of the participating students (55%) and an even larger proportion of end users (62%) indicated that they could not live without the internet, and that it is an integral part of their daily life!