Part 6: Shiny toys and happy people
How tech makes us feel and why these emotions are important.
Technology has a positive impact on our lives
Most people agree that device ownership adds value to their day-to-day.
Asurion Tech Lifestyle Study 2024 Base: Total Completes (n=1,004) Q: For each pair, please indicate which statement you agree with more strongly. Answers on both sides comprise agree and strongly agree responses.
The emotional side of tech
Yes, there’s a mix of positive emotions evoked by our devices, especially those for personal connectivity (smartphones, tablets, and fitness trackers). People report feeling satisfied, productive, happy, in control, and confident. Here’s how they felt about other tech:
For entertainment systems, we see emotions like satisfaction, happiness, and control but also excitement and relaxation—as you might expect for tech involving gaming and TV.
There’s a highly productive and satisfying mix of emotions for home office tech, presumably underlining a reliable, hassle-free experience for people’s work environments.
It’s no surprise that people are trending towards VR/AR headsets, but what about smart speakers and voice assistants? It’s true. And security tech makes them feel safe and in control.
Smart appliances have a weaker emotional response, partly due to their newness, unfamiliarity, and the difficulty of making them seem cool. But smart fridges do make some users feel “trendy.”
The leading devices in our lives
The most productive device: a desktop computer or laptop
The device that makes people happiest: a gaming console
The most confidence-building gadget: a smart security tool
The most empowering device: a fitness tracker
The most relaxing technology: a smart TV
The gadgets we love ... least
The least-effective device for spreading happiness is a smart fridge. The least empowering is a home audio system.
Smart washers and dryers are the worst for instilling pride.
The device with the least ability to make users feel cool and trendy is, of course, the router.
So what happens next?
The tech media talks excitedly about the emergence of futuristic categories, like AI, e-skin, smelly VR, and necrobiotics (yes, turning dead things into robots). As engaging as these storylines are, it’s unlikely they will impact the daily lives of regular people anytime soon. But let’s just wait and see.
