We’re sure you’ve seen them. Those surveys that ask whether a person would rather give up some other gadget or their smartphone.
“If you had to give up (insert device here) or your smartphone, which one would you give up?”
Whether the choice is television, radio, or anything else, the smartphone always wins.
There was a lot of hand wringing among broadcasters when the story first broke that listeners would rather give up their radios than their smartphone.
And radio critics had a field day. They pointed at the results as clear evidence of the growing irrelevance of radio. Radio’s death couldn’t be too far behind.
A new study puts this silliness into a more useful perspective. As reported by Mobiledia, a recent national study found that a third of Americans would rather give up sex than their smartphone.
A majority would give up alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, or exercise, while 22% would give up brushing their teeth.
The significance of people willing to give up their radio before their smartphone is no greater than their willingness to give up chocolate or sex.
These are so what? type questions. They tell us nothing about the relative importance of gadgets or actions. The fact that radio or television never wins these comparisons means nothing.
Keep that in mind next time you read a survey that forces a person to choose between radio and some other gadget or medium. These questions are asked to generate headlines and cast new media in a positive light.
Read the original TeleNav press release and learn such shocking things as twice as many women as men are willing to give up sex, go here, and find an infographic for your wall here.
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