Is the internet more important to you than being with your partner?

With the start of a new year it’s often a time when people start thinking about new beginnings and even changing their job.

So what would you look for in a new job and what things are important for you?

An interesting study by Cisco shows that it’s not just salary that is important and for the younger generation that have been brought up with tech gadgets like Smartphones and social media sites such as Facebook there are certain things that are more important than extra cash in your pay packet.

Cisco’s Connected World Technology Report surveyed nearly 3,000 young professionals and college students aged from 18 to 30 in 14 countries and there were some interesting findings for any companies that are looking at the remuneration package that they should be offering new recruits.

The study identified that 33% of “college students and young employees under the age of 30 said that they would prioritize social media freedom, device flexibility, and work mobility over salary in accepting a job offer, indicating that the expectations and priorities of the next generation of the world’s workforce are not solely tied to money”.

So money isn’t everything in a remuneration package and in fact 45% of young employees said “they would accept a lower-paying job that had more flexibility with regard to device choice, social media access, and mobility than a higher-paying job with less flexibility”.

Whilst the report identified changes which could impact on staff recruitment there were also some more “personal findings”.

It found for example that 33% believed the “Internet is a fundamental resource for the human race – as important as air, water, food and shelter”.

Now, call me old fashioned but whilst the internet certainly is important, I personally feel the long term impact is slightly different when comparing your internet going down for two hours with for example your air supply being turned off for 2 hours.

In terms of the future of the human race there was also a slightly concerning finding where it was identified that “40% of college students aged 18 to 23 thought the internet was more important to them than dating or going out with friends”.