CorpComms Magazine

British students are more distracted by social media sites than their peers around the world, with nine out of ten admitting to being sidetracked at least once every hour, according to a recent global study by networking equipment specialists Cisco.

The study found that one in three college students believe the Internet is essential for the human race, and rank it on a par to air, water, food and shelter while 64 per cent claim it is even more important than owning a car.

As many as four in ten students said that they would rather use the Internet than go on a date or see friends while more than a quarter surveyed said that staying updated on Facebook was more important than seeing friends.

Two out of three students and 58 per cent of employees said that their smartphone or tablet is their most important piece of technology.

Nine in ten college students and 88 per cent of employees from around the world said they had an active Facebook account. One third of respondents check their accounts at least five times each day.

The study revealed that 84 per cent of students are interrupted at least once by social updates while they are doing homework, while one fifth get disturbed on average once every ten minutes.

Seven out of ten employees have disregarded the work and private life separation and have asked their employer to be a Facebook 'friend'. And almost seven out of ten (68 per cent) follow their manager or colleagues on Twitter.

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