A flushing toilet in exchange for Facebook? Air conditioning in lieu of Angry Birds? Ranking a list of your most appreciated items is no easy task but when the London Science Museum asked 3,000 British adults to do just that, the results were astonishing. Only four items ranked above Facebook in terms of appreciation – sunshine, the Internet, clean drinking water, and a fridge – and the mobile phone came in at number ten, ranking just below a flushing toilet!
There were some other shockers as well, including a push-up bra beating out a freezer and painkillers ranking higher than fresh fruit and vegetables. But outside of creating a few gasps and giggles, what can we really learn from this? The appreciation for an Internet connection, Facebook, Email, and mobile phones/smartphones shows the degree of influence that the digital world is having on our culture. As more people shift their behavior in favor of what the digital world has to offer, e.g. a two-click Black Friday purchase from your iPhone versus lining up in front of Target at 4 a.m., sending a neighbor a Facebook message versus knocking on their door to invite them... Read more
Tagged 'consumer data' 
Would you give up your shower and shoes for your mobile phone?
Posted by Glenn Pingul on November 30th, 2011 at 1:23 pm
