Part of the German population plans to limit the consumption of digital media in 2022 or even to do without them entirely. This is the result of a representative survey by Bitkom Research on behalf of the Bitkom digital association. According to this, 9 percent of the people surveyed stated that they would consciously refrain from using the Internet in the new year and limit the consumption of digital media.
Short stamina
As is so often the case, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. The Bitkom survey shows that 43 percent of those questioned have already done without the Internet and digital media for a certain period of time at least once. However, this did not always last long. Around 48 percent of them only made it through once. Then only for a very short period of a few hours (53 percent). According to the survey, 21 percent endured it longer, “but not more than a day”. 15 percent are said to have practiced digital waiver for several days, only 6 percent lasted more than a week or longer. Above all, men with 25 percent are said to have practiced digital abstinence for several days to several weeks, with women only 17 percent would have done it.
According to Bitkom, none of the participants in the survey were able to do without the Internet and digital media for a period of more than a month. The 43 percent of the survey participants who had already waived did not renounce completely anyway, according to the evaluation by Bitkom. 35 percent of them simply did not use certain applications or services. According to Bitkom, only 14 percent want to have exercised total waiver.
Partial waiver
Specifically, 31 percent refrained from using devices such as smartphones, tablets and notebooks. 30 percent left their fingers on video and computer games as well as gaming apps. Around 20 percent did not use chats and 19 percent did not use social networks. 17 percent did not shop online. Eight percent of those surveyed managed to fail to check their e-mails. 6 percent of those surveyed found it difficult to do without streaming services such as Netflix & Co.
The participants in the survey specifically refrained from using devices or certain applications and services.
(Image: Bitkom)
Bitkom CEO Bernhard Rohleder also attributes the limited stamina to social distancing during the corona pandemic. “Due to the restrictions in the pandemic, many people have resorted to digital media more than ever before and usage times have increased massively. Digital detox has probably never been as difficult as in the age of social distancing.”
Bitkom Research interviewed 1003 people over the age of 16 by telephone in the first half of November 2021 for the representative survey.
(olb)