for W3c validation

Microsoft has published results of new research on how technology is transforming Australian daily life. A quantitative survey of 1027 Australians aged 18-65 explored themes covering:

• the impact of technology on the traditional boundaries between work, personal and social life;
• how mobile devices have changed the way we work; and
• how have they changed leisure and entertainment activities.

The research found that while about a third of people reported feeling overwhelmed with all of the technology in their lives sometimes, the majority believe that technology makes their life easier and say it has had a positive impact on work-life balance.

According to Microsoft’s analysis, the work day has been reinvented thanks to mobile technology:

“While most white collar workers – 70% – are still doing the majority of their work from the office (and 60% of all workers doing the majority of work from their workplace), there is almost no time, place or social context that is out of bounds now for plugging in to work.”

The 18 to 35 age group are living the most extreme version of “life on demand”. This is leading to a blurring of work, personal and social activity, which is creating a serious challenge to the established Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 routine.

It is also no surprise that technology is also changing how we socialise with friends and family:

“Connecting with friends and family is no longer something we do only in our spare time. We’re connecting to them on social media and via text message/ messaging apps 24/7, no matter where we are, who we’re with or what else we’re doing. This new era of ubiquitous social media and messaging has turned the very concept of ‘social life’ on its head. Almost every place and space – including the office, the bus and our beds have become zones for socialising.”

Read more and download the whitepaper on the Microsoft Australia Blog.