A recent study by Nortel and IDC showed just how wired and connected we have become. The study found that:
- 16% of global workers are already “hyperconnected,” fully embracing a world of multiple devices and intense use of new communication applications. The hyperconnected worker uses a minimum of seven devices for work and personal access, plus at least nine applications like IM, text messaging, web conferencing, and social networks.
- 36% of global workers were designated as “increasingly connected,” meaning they use a minimum of four devices for work and personal access to six or more applications.
- The most hyperconnected country is China and the United States. The least hyperconnected countries were Canada and the United Arab Emirates.
- The ranks of the hyperconnected are expected to rise to 40% in the next few years.
Seven devices and nine applications! Okay, I use four devices: My laptop, iMac, regular phone, and cell phone. And I thought that was over the top, but seven?
I can think of eight applications I use to stay connected and have people stay connected with me: E-mail, voice mail, text messaging, IM, Facebook, LinkedIn, personal blog, company blog. I can barely keep up with all these communication vehicles and I’m not even hyperconnected! Last weekend, I picked up voice mail messages on my home phone and discovered three messages that were nearly a week old. Can I / should I even consider twittering? I wonder if that’s why my husband and I like to vacation in places like Cambodia and Vietnam and we don’t stay in the big cities? Are you hyperconnected?
