Credit: 123rf
RESEARCHERS from the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at Hong Kong Polytechnic University have found that the daily use of smartphones has made it difficult for travellers to unplug from their devices.
In the study, researchers conducted interviews with frequent travellers from the US to determine the extent to which smartphone use spills over from everyday life when travelling abroad.
They found that most interviewees would wake up to alarms set on smartphones, then proceed to browse the news, connect to social networks, read email, listen to music, check the weather, do shopping online or browse the Internet on their phones.
A majority of the interviewees indicate that smartphones “were more or less part of their life”. According to the findings, uses during travel largely originated from the interviewees’ daily lives “because of habits and social norms and obligations”.
They noted that the interviewees feel socially obligated to stay connected during trips because they are so used to constant communication. Hence, “routines and habits were carried to the context of travel”, the researchers explain.
The study concludes that because of the advance in technology, friends, families and colleagues are all just a simple swipe away. This makes it very difficult to truly “switch off” while on vacation.
They add, however, that this connectedness is a universally positive experience as they allow people to maintain social ties back home, thus feeling less isolated.
Utility apps also afford greater convenience when travelling while entertainment options allow travellers to indulge in being themselves.
