My So Called “Tech” Life: Does Technology = Happiness for Women?

by Anastasia Lemle-Goodwin

As an…ahem…middle-aged woman who was born as an, on-the-cusp, Gen-X / Gen-Y’er, I was brought up in the time before the INTERNET. Yes…..there was life before the World Wide Web and all these fancy gadgets like the iPhone and the Apple Watch. Now…I will admit that I am thrilled that I can receive data at the touch of a finger; turn off my lights from an app on my cell phone; and call my loved ones on my hands-free cell phone, from my car, using Siri while sitting in traffic. Does this convenience factor and all these techie gadgets make me happy? YES, YES and YES!  Well apparently, I am not alone. According to POPSUGAR Insights recent study “Find your Happy” (McLoughlin, 2015), 80% of millennial women, age 18-24 claim that tech devices and apps have positively impacted their lives and have brought them some semblance of happiness (McLoughlin, 2015). In my age group, 35-49 year olds, 65% of the women surveyed said that tech makes them happy. The percentages are most likely lower in this category due to family responsibilities and careers outside of the home, but are still considered high since we are a prime market that tech and e-commerce companies are paying attention to.

So why does tech make woman happy? Overall, women in general aged 13-49 (62%) find that the “comfort and simplicity” (McLoughlin,2015) that technology provides “help make their lives happier” (McLoughlin,2015) .  Women who are busy with families and or with careers are  constantly looking for convenient and simple ways to navigate their lives whether it is to keep in contact with family members, i.e. their children; fitness and health tracking; social networking; or shopping for themselves or their households.

Wearables, Smearables. The Fitbit health tracker wanna-be-healthy is a growing trend amongst women. 54% or women use a mobile device to track their eating habits, caloric intake and healthy eating guides (McLoughlin,2015). Again, the convenience of on-the insta-info is by design a way to live a happier and healthier life. I can attest that when I found the health app on my iPhone I was THRILLED that I could track my entire health report!! It helps as an accountability app and has made my life so much simpler in regards to my health.  YAY!

How and where are women making purchases? Glad you asked! Women, who are the prime target market of e-commerce companies, drive online shopping trends at 57% in comparison to men at 52% (Smith, 2015). A study conducted by BI Intelligence (2015) to research e-commerce trends found that men are more likely to make purchases via their mobile device in comparison to women. This is primarily due to women making more rational purchases and taking their time to browse and look for deals rather than jumping on the first sale they see (Lu, 2014). However the distance is closing as women are becoming more comfortable and familiar with smart devices and all the comfort and convenience that it provides in all areas of their lives.

What about social media? Where does this fall on the happiness spectrum in relation to women? While some studies have shown that social media can cause anxiety or bring about stress (Leopold, 2015), POPSUGAR Insights (2015) found that social media can be a general source of contentment when women are able to receive support via social media and “communicate their life successes” (McLoughlin,2015).

So what does all of this mean in a nutshell?? Tech companies and e-marketers should realize this an opportunity to increase and diversify their marketing efforts to women.  Women are infusing technology into their daily lives for more that just online shopping. WE are a  viable consumer market that should be considered in the future of technology design and development. AND YES……TECH MAKES US HAPPY

References

Jiaxi, L. (2014, August 6). Research shows men are more likely to shop on mobile than women. The Washington Post. Retrieved on June 12, 2015 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/technology/wp/2014/08/06/research-shows-men-are-more-likely-to-shop-on-mobile-than-women/

Leopold, T. (2015, May 1). Can social media make you happy? CNN. Retrieved on June 12, 2015 from http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/01/living/feat-happiness-social-media/

McLoughlin, R. (2015, June 10). Her Connected Life: How Women Use Technology to Find Happiness.POPSUGAR Insights. Retrieved on June 12, 2015 from http://insights.popsugar.com/Her-Connected-Life-How-Women-Use-Technology-Find-Happiness-37675496

McLoughlin, R. (2015, May 28). 62% of women say easily finding info makes them happy with technology. POPSUGAR Insights. Retrieved on June 12, 2015 from http://insights.popsugar.com/62-Women-Say-Easily-Finding-Info-Makes-Them-Happy-Technology-37588287

McLoughlin, R. (2015, June 12). 80% of younger millennial women believe technology makes them Happy. POPSUGAR Insights. Retrieved on June 12, 2015 from http://insights.popsugar.com/80-Younger-Millennial-Women-Believe-Technology-Makes-Them-Happy-37691567

McLoughlin, R. (2015, May 29). The Benefits of Wearables, Smart Devices, and Happiness. POPSUGAR Insights. Retrieved on June 12, 2015 from http://insights.popsugar.com/Benefits-Wearables-Smart-Devices-Happiness-37596088

Smith, C. (2015, February 23). The surprising facts about who shops online and on mobile. Business Insider. Retrieved on June 12, 2015 from http://www.businessinsider.com/the-surprising-demographics-of-who-shops-online-and-on-mobile-2014-6