"The iPass Mobile Professional Report 2016," stated that W-Fi was the most important amenity for people, followed by sex, chocolate and alcohol.
It's official. WiFi connectivity is now more desirable and important to people than alcohol, chocolate or even, wait for it, sex.
International Wi-Fi connectivity provider iPass, recently surveyed over 1,700 working professionals across Europe and the United States about their connectivity habits. The survey asked participants to compare the importance of Wi-Fi against other “human luxuries and necessities”, on a scale of 1-4, with 4 being the least important necessity and 1 being the most important.
According to "The iPass Mobile Professional Report 2016," as many as 40.2% of the participants rated Wi-Fi as the most important amenity. This was followed up by sex (36.6%), chocolate (14.3%) and alcohol, which was ranked as the most important essential by 8.9% of respondents.
Speaking about the results Patricia Hume, Chief Commercial Officer, iPass told International Business Times, “Wi-Fi is not only the most popular method of internet connectivity, it has surpassed many other human luxuries and necessities…… We all want Wi-Fi first, because of faster speeds, lower prices and the better user experience it affords.”
“The idea that Wi-Fi would be considered more important than sex, alcohol and chocolate would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. For some time now, the internet has appeared on the bottom line of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, almost as a longstanding joke in geek culture. Recently, the idea has gone mainstream,” she stated.
In an age of cheap connectivity Wi-Fi’s has emerged as the single most important thing for people. And compared to other items on the survey such as sex, sweets and booze, as many as 75 per cent of participants reported that WiFi connectivity has improved their quality of life.
The survey added that Wi-Fi connectivity has also become an important factor in their travel decisions. 72 per cent of the participants reported that they have chosen a hotel because of internet connectivity with 21 per cent stating that they always do so. Over 72 percent respondents added that they use free Wi-Fi at airports whenever possible.
"The Wi-Fi experience is increasingly affecting mobile professionals' travel choices, even at 30,000 feet, with more than a third of respondents having selected their airline based on its Wi-Fi connectivity offerings," Hume observed.
She added, "Long gone are the days when Wi-Fi was only a 'nice-to-have' at airports and in-flight. Mobile professionals are no longer content to sit and wait for their flights. Instead, they want to remain productive or simply unwind during this valuable time."
US and Europe being developed regions have had seamless and widespread internet connectivity for some time now. India on the other hand is still developing. However internet connectivity has already started to make its effect felt. Now more than ever people are showing greater receptivity to online shopping and banking services. It has also become the primary mode for booking flights and other services. It should be only a matter of time before Indian too follow suit and the internet may soon rule people’s lives.
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