New Study: Americans Go Crazy When Internet Is Slow

Not long ago, @mistygirlph wrote an article entitled, “Do You Freak Out When Your Internet Goes Down?” It always makes me giggle when I see that one circulating on Twitter because people almost always add a little comment with their tweet that says, “Yes!” I know for me, I definitely freak out when my Internet goes down.

How about when our Internet is slow? Does that upset us too? Intel recently asked Harris Interactive to conduct the proper tests and gather the research to answer that question.

The results of the study showed that:

80% of Americans get frustrated when waiting for their computers to complete a command.

51% of Americans admit to doing something unusual (i.e. hitting the table with their fist, screaming, yada yada) because their patience runs out when they have to wait a long time because their Internet is slow.

Of that 51% of Americans above…

62% said they yelled and/or cursed
29% said they beat the mouse
24% said they hit the computer screen or keyboard

And, we aren’t secretive with this behavior either!

70% said they’ve seen this behavior with strangers
46% said they’ve seen this behavior with family members or friends
33% said they’ve seen this behavior from a colleague.

The report goes on to say that this is not just a reflection of how we deal with our impatience. It’s much more than that. Much of what we do on the Internet is time sensitive. Many people blame their computer’s slowness for losing eBay auctions and other opportunities that require a faster computer than many people have.