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Aussies set to wish each other a Merry Tech-mas
New Telstra research1 indicates the first thing many Australians intend to do this Christmas morning is send text messages of goodwill to family and friends – even before opening presents under the tree.
Telstra Director of Consumer Marketing, Maryanne Tsiatsias, said Australians would keep their fingers busy this Christmas, with one-in-three mobile phone users set to start their day SMS-ing Christmas greetings.
“Text messaging continues to be the most popular way to share Christmas cheer – we’re predicting more than 99 million text messages to be sent, almost four million more than last year’s Christmas period*.
“On top of text message records tumbling, we expect our customers will send almost three million picture messages to loved ones, as they open presents and tuck into Christmas lunch.”
Ms Tsiatsias said using social networks to spread Christmas cheer would also prove popular; particularly given 46 per cent of Australian mobile phone owners now have an internet enabled smartphone – up from 31 per cent last year2.
“Telstra’s research indicates half of Aussie Facebook® users plan to upload Christmas happy snap to their page on Christmas Day. But remember, while you might think posting a festive picture or status update will suffice, our research suggests more than one-third of Australians believe there’s nothing better than receiving a call from a loved one, wishing them a happy and safe day.”
Ms Tsiatsias said international phone traffic from Australian homes would also spike at Christmas.
“Christmas is the busiest day of the year for our national and international directory assistance operators. In all we expect around half a million international calls will be made from Australia on Christmas Day, with the UK, New Zealand and the US among the most popular call destinations.”
Telstra’s research on the nation’s Christmas tech habits also found:
- Phone’s a favourite: Older Australians are the most likely to make a festive phone call; 55 per cent of people aged 55 years and over said a phone call was their preferred way of connecting with family and friends at Christmas (versus only 15 per cent of 18-24 year olds).
- Youngsters get mobile happy: Not surprisingly, Generation Y are the most phone-obsessed on Christmas morning, with 43 per cent of 18-24 year olds admitting checking their mobile phone is the first thing they will do (versus 13 per cent among 65+ year olds).
- Females lead the Facebook® photo race: 52 per cent of female Facebook® users plan to post and share festive related photos (versus 39 per cent of men).
- We love to share our festive feasts: While one in ten Facebook® users intend to upload a pic of their pet or furry friend, foodies will also be sharing their prowess, with almost a third of users planning to share pictures of their festive feast.
- Aussie master chefs don’t just stop at Facebook®: Christmas feast related tweets are set to feature in the top five most tweeted topics at Christmas, along with embarrassing or funny Christmas stories, top gifts received and even plans to re-gift.
- We’re not shy of being festive show-offs: While most Aussies plan to post their pictures on Facebook to share the Christmas spirit, 16 per cent admit that they do so to “show off” to their online friends. This is highest among 18-24 year olds, with a quarter admitting they will use photos on the site to show off the fun of their day.
Additionally, according to Telstra’s research, the top five festive phone-pas to avoid include:
- Over-sharing on social media sites. The last thing friends and family want to see online are your plans to re-gift their present.
- Posting a picture of someone who has enjoyed too much Christmas cheer, without their consent. A picture tells a thousand words so seek permission before sharing someone’s photograph and remember the golden rule – always think before you post.
- Forgetting international time differences. So you don’t wake friends and family, it’s a good idea to review the international time and area codes before calling on Christmas Day, as these can change throughout the year.
- Drink-dialling during the festive season. Modern technology has transformed traditional dating rules but remember, don’t drink and dial; without a doubt you’ll always regret it!
- Sending an identical Christmas SMS to multiple people in your contacts list. While you might think a Christmas SMS or posting a festive status update to your Facebook page will suffice, sometimes there’s nothing better than calling a loved one to wish them a merry Christmas.
1 Telstra Christmas research: this research was conducted online by Pure Profile on behalf of Telstra in December, 2011 on a representative sample of 1,254 Australians, aged 18+ years from across Australia in both metropolitan and regional areas. Australians were surveyed in relation to their use of mobile communication.
2 Telstra Smartphone Index 2011: this research was conducted by Nielsen in July 2011 on behalf of Telstra on a representative sample of 2,827 Australians aged over 16 from across Australia in both metropolitan and regional areas.
Reference Number: 393/2011
