Motorola Releases Global Study On Phone-Life Balance

~ India shows most alarming findings on mindless usage of mobile phones ~

There is no denying, our phones have become an extension of ourselves. They entertain us, connect us, inform us, and enable us to explore our passions, relive our memories and communicate our deepest thoughts to the world. We love our smartphones, but when does the love for our phones supersede the relationships we hold most dear? When does time with our smartphone become more important than time with our parents, spouse, children, and friends?

As the creator of the first-ever mobile phone, we feel responsible to understand the impact of this rapidly-developing technology and the desire to have it support our lives without becoming the center of it – a term we call phone-life balance.

In an attempt to create awareness amongst audiences around the mindless usage of phones and the impact it has on their lives, Motorola kick started the Phone Life balance campaign in India by urging audiences to take the quiz to assess their current state of mobile usage. The quiz, hosted on phonelifebalance.motorola.in, looked at how people perceive and prioritize smartphone usage over real life experiences. This threw up amazing data that showed how as a generation, we are losing control of our lives.

To gain further insights into this, we developed a global study in partnership with Dr. Nancy Etcoff, renowned expert in Mind-Brain Behavior and the Science of Happiness at Harvard University and Psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry. The study, issued by the independent research company, Ipsos, looks at behaviors and phone use habits across generations and seeks to understand the impact of smartphones on our relationships with ourselves, other people, and the physical and social environment

Key Findings:

The study shows people are putting their phones before the people they care about, with the most alarming findings tied to younger generations who have grown up in a digital world. We also understand people recognize the need for balance and are raising their hands for help: 

·  Phone Importance: Approximately 33% of respondents prioritize their smartphones over engaging with people they care about with India standing at the top with 47%

·  Generational Factors: Over half of the respondents (53%) describe their smartphones as their best friend and companion. India tops the chart with 65% of the respondents who perceive their phone as their best friend.

·  Help Wanted: 61% people agree that they need a better phone life balance. They want to get the most out of their life when they are not using their phones. India again came on top wherein 64% people want help with phone-life balance.

We pinpointed three key problematic smartphone behaviors that impact our relationships with others and ourselves, with the study showing that younger generations are more likely to adopt these problematic behaviors:

·  Compulsive Checking: Approximately 50% people agree that they check their phone more often than they would like and nearly 44% feel compelled to perpetually check their phones. India figures at the top with 65% and 57% respectively.

·  Excessive Phone Time: Almost 35% agree that they are spending too much time using their phones with 44% of Gen Z. India figures at the top with 48% and 55% respectively. Further to this, 53% Indians said that they’d be happier if they spent less time on their smartphones

·  Emotional Overdependence: 65% people panic when they think they have lost their smartphone. India stands at the top in emotional overdependence of phone with 77% of respondents admitting that they panic when they lose their phone. Even while not using their smartphones, 46% Indians were thinking about using it the next time that they got a chance.   

What We’re Doing:

Clearly there is a need for a better phone-life balance. We’re working with like-minded third-party organizations as well as looking at our own behavior at Motorola to bring new initiatives and programs that help people strike a healthy balance.

·  Motorola is working with the SPACE Phone-Life Balance App, which offers a 60-day program to help smartphone users become more mindful of their phone usage. The app helps with things like screen dimming, notification blockers and more. This app is especially relevant for those exhibiting the problematic behavior for “compulsive checking,” as it helps people become more aware of their phone habits and learn how to find balance.

·  Through our Transform the Smartphone Challenge, developers can submit ideas via a partnership with Indiegogo for new Moto Modswhich may help you use your phone more mindfully, or may help bring people together with experiences.

·  Moto Experiences help support more intuitive mobile interactions. For instance, Moto Display lets you easily respond to notifications without going down the ‘rabbit hole’. Our innovative Moto Mods ecosystem allows you to do more with your phone with others around you. We’re making devices that create social experiences.

·  Inside our walls, we are encouraging employees to practice phone-life balance in their own lives and are providing tips on how to achieve this balance.

The Motorola Phone-Life Balance Study, was fielded online from November 30, 2017 to December 26, 2017 among 4,418 smartphone users aged 16 to 65 in the U.S., Brazil, France, and India. The margin of sampling error for total respondents (n=4,418) is ±1.5 percent, this means if the study were replicated, the study findings would not vary by more than 1.5 percentage points for total respondents 95 times out of 100.

New Delhi, 24th February 2018