A quarter of us are still technophobes

A study that was recently carried out by broadband giant Talk Talk has revealed that around twenty five percent of adults in Britain are still technophobes

With the take up of technological services such as broadband and mobile technology it is difficult to imagine a large proportion of adults in this country being classed as technophobes. However, according to the results of a study carried out by Talk Talk Broadband around twenty five percent of adults in Britain are classed as ‘timid’ technophobes’.

The broadband providers banded adults in Britain into six technology categories, which went from ‘Timid Technophobes’ right up to ‘Digital Extroverts’, with the latter being people that were happy to embrace any new technology and the former being those that only did what they had to such as sending emails using the Internet and actually preferred to stick to basics such as pen and paper.

Over two thousand adults were polled as part of the study. The report stated that “our willingness to embrace digital technology and use it effectively will be more important in developing a person’s career than their family background or what school or university they went to.”

An official from Talk Talk said: “Digital technology is now such an important part of our lives that it is often difficult to imagine what life was like without it, even though that’s just 10 or 15 years ago.” Another industry expert added: “Traditional class structures are changing fast and, based on how things are changing right now, it seems likely that your openness to new technology and willingness to embrace it will soon become more important in dictating your life chances than, say, your schooling or your parents’ economic status. But while this digital elite will emerge and thrive, it’s worrying that nearly a quarter of people are still scared by technology. This digital divide isn’t simply about access to technology – it’s about attitudes and behaviour. This could be the class divide of the future.”