Digital Assistant Adoption Jumps despite Rising Security Concerns

Consumers across the world overwhelmingly agree that online digital technology has positively impacted their lives, says the ‘State of Digital Lifestyles’ report by Us-based Cloud services provider Limelight Networks. The survey of consumers in nine countries, including India, shows digital device adoption is on the rise, but performance frustrations and security concerns remain.

Digital assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home are increasingly popular, with 28 per cent of worldwide consumers owning one, up 47 per cent in the last year. Although the use of digital assistants is growing, they are still not considered an essential tool by most consumers with more than 65 per cent saying they would be willing to give them up for at least a week and 26 per cent willing to stop using them permanently. Comparatively, when asked how long they could stop using mobile phones, 48 per cent of global consumers said they would be unable to stop using them for even one day, and only 7 per cent would give them up permanently.

The growth of digital technology has created new concerns, with nearly half (46 per cent) of worldwide consumers reporting they are more worried about personal information being stolen online than a year ago. For digital assistants, 47 per cent of global consumers expressed concerns about data privacy.

Research Highlights:

• Technology has had a positive impact on society: The overwhelming majority (80 per cent) of global consumers says online digital technology has improved their lives. Notably, over one-third (35 per cent) feel online digital technology has made a significant improvement in their lives. Technology has had the biggest positive impact in India, where 94 per cent say it has brought about an improvement.

• Many people interact with digital media daily: Every day, 39 per cent of global consumers listen to digital music and 33 per cent download or watch movies and TV shows online. Streaming has become the most common way to access digital media, with two-thirds choosing to stream movies and TV shows online rather than download or purchase physical copies and 58 per cent streaming music online rather than downloading or purchasing CDS.

• Frustrations with digital content remain, but consumers are hopeful for improvements with 5G: The vast majority (86 per cent) of worldwide consumers express frustrations with accessing digital content online, but nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) expect 5G networking will bring faster download speeds. Consumer awareness of 5G networking varies from a high of 97 per cent in South Korea to a low of 71 per cent in Japan.

• Consumers still enjoy offline experiences: Despite the growth in online activities, retail stores and movie theaters remain popular with consumers. Nearly half of global consumers (49 per cent) still prefer to shop at a physical retail store rather than online, and more than onethird (39 per cent) would rather watch a movie in a theater instead of online or on TV.

“With the rapid growth of online content and new devices available to access it, digital media is playing an increasingly important role in our daily lives,” said Michael Milligan, Senior Director at Limelight Networks. “Our research reveals consumer expectations for high-quality digital experiences continue to rise, along with concerns about online security and unauthorized access to personal information. To increase customer loyalty and maximize revenue opportunities, digital content providers and device manufacturers must ensure their content distribution platforms and devices utilize a secure infrastructure that safeguards customer data while delivering a consistently fast and reliable user experience.”

The State of Digital Lifestyles report is based on responses from 4,500 consumers in France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States aged 18 and older. ■