aNewDomain.net — Have you measured your Digital Quotient lately? That’s the test that determines just how apt you are with today’s tech. A not-so-shocking U.K. study by Ofcom has found that children as young as six years old are more confident with technology than adults over the age of 45. It’s a rapidly changing landscape, and by the time these kids are teens, they will rule the tech world.
Image Credit:Ipad Kids
Sleep Less, Text More!
Ofcom tested around 2,000 adults and 800 children to assess the digital aptitude of different age groups and published its findings in its annual Communications Market Report. The so-called “millennium generation” of 14- and 15-year-olds were found to have the highest confidence and knowledge of technology, with an average score of 113 in the Digital Quotient (DQ) test.
Only 5 percent of teenagers said they spoke over the phone or sent emails, compared to more than 50 percent of adults who communicated through both.
The report also found people in the UK now spend more time engaging with technology than sleeping. The average person spends eight hours and 41 minutes a day watching TV, listening to the radio, surfing the internet or using a mobile phone. This tops the average sleep time: eight hours and 21 minutes. I’m tired just thinking about it.
DQ Influence
So, the question looms: how tech savvy are you? And, more importantly, how much does the DQ really matter? Do you think that DQ can influence IQ? Can a digital quotient affect your emotional quotient, your state of mind, or your happiness? Tech-savviness is useful surely, but it’s not yet equatable to “good.” The opposite could be argued.
We must remember, too, that measurements are not the end-all and be-all of life!
These younger people are shaping communications,” said Jane Rumble, Ofcom’s media research head. “As a result of growing up in the digital age, they are developing fundamentally different communication habits from older generations, even compared to what we call the early adopters, the 16-to-24 age group.”
The test also found interesting differences in the way different generations engaged with technology.
Take the Test here. It’s only three minutes, and might tell you just how savvy a six year old is.
For aNewDomain.net, I’m David Michaelis.
