How many selfies do you take before landing on the perfect one?

2 Nov 2016

Image: View Apart/Shutterstock

We take too many selfies, peer over too many shoulders and are adamant that browser histories should always be deleted. Ireland on mobile, revealed.

It takes four selfies before we’re happy with the perfect shot, according to Eir’s recent report into Irish mobile habits. Why it takes four, when by now everyone should have perfected such a relentless art, is not revealed, though the report is packed with interesting tidbits.

Surveying 1,000 people, Eir found that one-third of us have committed the ultimate mobile faux pas: texting the person we were talking about, rather than talking to.

Mobile

Almost half of us have read a stranger’s messages over their shoulder when we’re on a bus or a train, with the younger generation tending to be major culprits in this regard.

Created to help promote its bundle package, Eir – much like its rivals Vodafone, Three and more – must now keep up with users’ desire to be online at all times.

One-quarter of those surveyed, for example, said they have stood outside a coffee shop or business just to use their free Wi-Fi.

According to Eir’s report, 62pc of men aged 34-49 are “regularly deleting” their browser history, though across all age brackets, the margin between male and female is narrow.

When it comes to hurting people’s feelings, women tend to be more selective about what they post online – though the starker divide is between those young and old.

The older you are, the less likely you will post something that you think may offend a friend.

Interestingly, when given the options of sport, reality TV, movies and documentaries; it was the latter that was most likely to be discussed online.

Constant connectivity is key, so much so that online services are battling to capture a constant market, never losing any share to a competitor – even if that competitor is several stages removed from said online service’s business.

Shopping is on its way to Instagram, with US iOS users soon to see its tests.

20 US-based retail brands including Kate Spade, JackThreads and Warby Parker will share posts “that have more depth”, appearing in a person’s Instagram feed.

Chatbots are the firepower being used by the likes of Messenger, WeChat and many more instant messaging tools aimed at downing the need for numerous specific shopping and services apps.

Messenger’s latest move to allow hosted purchases – meaning customers stay within the tool while they purchase products from beyond Facebook’s realm – is just one example.

Mobile Ireland

Gordon Hunt was a journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com