Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
14 August 2015 08:54
Young Brits are ditching books in favour of phones on holiday
A book is no longer the main companion of choice for young people sunning themselves on holiday, research reveals.
Three quarters of Britons aged 18 to 25 take their mobile phone to the poolside or beach, uploading pictures to social media sites and chatting with friends back home.
Only a quarter now take a book, according to the survey of 1,500 young holidaymakers.
Usage trends
The study, which is part of Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge's Summer Speed Reads initiative, suggests young people are unable to switch off from the world of social media.
Typically, 18 to 25 year-olds check their phones 14 times a day on holiday.
Some 24% of those polled believe books take too long to read, while 26% claim books are too heavy or take up valuable packing space.
As many as 10% of young people have never even read a novel, plus 72% prefer short form writing and agree they have shorter attention spans due to the vast array of modern technology at their disposal.
Devices like mobile phones can be expensive, so travel insurance is a necessity just in case they go wandering.
Twitter generation
In light of the findings, John Sutherland, professor of modern English literature at University College London, has condensed 25 of the most popular beach novels into 140 characters for the Twitter generation.
Fifty Shades Of Grey and The Da Vinci Code are among the stories shrunk to tweet-sized summaries.
Prof Sutherland believes short versions of novels will become the norm in the future.
He says people, particularly the younger generation, are increasingly seeking instant gratification while multi-tasking.
This applies to holidaymakers, not content with just watching the world go by when sitting poolside or on the beach.
But the academic hopes the 25 shortened beach novels will inspire some people to pick up an old-fashioned book.
14 July 2018
Too many passengers heading abroad this summer will be travelling without adequate protection for when an airline goes bust, a new study has shown.
[more...]
13 July 2018
The mother of Bradley Lowery has welcomed the news that a drug used to help treat her son will soon be made available for other patients on the NHS.
12 July 2018
British GPs have prevented thousands of strokes after learning how to better identify and treat a common heart condition, research has shown.
11 July 2018
London City Airport is considering lodging an application to increase flight and passenger numbers, its boss has revealed.
10 July 2018
Captain Harry Kane is leading England's unexpected bid for glory, and is hoping to inspire the next generation of footballers by going all the way in Russia.
07 July 2018
Experts have warned that a lack of rigorous testing of skin cancer detection apps is putting the public at risk.
06 July 2018
Easyjet has added to worries that travellers are set for a summer of chaos, revealing that nearly 1,300 flights were cancelled last month.
05 July 2018
Soaring temperatures across the UK have led to a surge of asthma sufferers calling a dedicated asthma helpline, a charity has revealed.
04 July 2018
Strikes across Europe led Ryanair to cancel over 1,000 flights in June, the budget airline has revealed.
03 July 2018
Sarcoma cancer is "more common than previously thought" with 15 people in the UK diagnosed with the illness every day, a charity has warned.
30 June 2018
The UK is set to scorch this weekend as the heatwave continues and temperatures stay well in the 30s.
29 June 2018
Passengers travelling to Heathrow this summer could continue to face lengthy queues, a top Home Office official has warned.