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The Issue of Gadget Envy... - Press Release
More
Than One-Third of Americans Suffer From 'Digital Distress'
Source: RCA and RadioShack (via http://www.prnewswire.com)
INDIANAPOLIS, June 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Sweaty palms. Nervous headaches. The shakes. Just another day at the office? Home, maybe? Or, at the local mall shopping to see the latest in digital technology?
In a new study conducted by Harris Online, more than one-third of American consumers admit to suffering from "digital distress." A digital depression, of sorts, digital distress is the latest ailment to concern consumers as they try to keep up with the dizzying pace of technology in digital home entertainment products.
When Does Digital Distress Strike?
Whether the distress comes from a digital phobia while standing in the home electronics department of their favorite store or simply trying to keep up with the "digital Joneses," identifying the symptoms and appropriate remedies can help consumers relieve the anxiety experienced when they consider purchasing digital products.
Symptoms?
According to the poll, Digital Distress seems to be caused by confusion and misconceptions about what it takes to "go digital." As said by several survey respondents, consumers want manufacturers to keep things simple and wonder about the possibility of using digital technology in devices they are already familiar with and know how to use, "like VCRs ... "
Confusion further confounded nearly 70 percent of total survey respondents who claimed to not own any digital home entertainment products; yet, of those 70 percent, 10 percent already own a DVD player and 13 percent own Digital Satellite Receiving Systems.
Other survey results show that consumers are put into a tailspin by the frequency in which digital products seem to be introduced into the marketplace. Sixty percent of those surveyed said they have simply stopped trying to keep up with the latest technology. And, one respondent pleaded for manufacturers to slow down, saying "There is too much stuff to consider ... give us time to enjoy our new stuff before you introduce something else! I just took my VCR out of the box and something new comes along..."
So, What's a Sufferer to Do?
"What most Americans who suffer from digital distress are really in need of are simple explanations about what digital means, and how it can benefit them," says Wil Shriner, comedian, talk-show host and technophile. A self- confessed gizmo guy, Shriner says that once consumers are educated about digital products, they no longer feel overwhelmed by digital definition overload. "And, once they experience the difference in sound and picture -- their view of the world is forever changed," he concludes.
Remedies?
So, where do consumers turn to alleviate their digital distress? Not surprisingly, of those who have embraced technology into their lives, most cite the Internet as their best source for the most recent news about the latest in home entertainment. Other popular sources for information are friends, consumer magazines and family members.
While in-store professionals already ranked in good standing with consumers as someone to turn to for answers, they now have a new remedy for relief. RCA Consumer Electronics and RadioShack have teamed up to create the new RCA Digital Entertainment Center (DEC) at RadioShack stores nationwide. Now, consumers have an easily accessible place to go to assuage the symptoms of their digital distress -- from misconceptions about price points to (literally) putting the pieces together.
According to Dave Edmondson, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, RadioShack, "With the new RCA DEC at RadioShack, there is no reason for consumers to feel overwhelmed when it comes to buying home entertainment products. After all, these are things you turn to for relaxation in down time, and shopping for them shouldn't be distressing."
What else did consumers want to relieve their digital distress? Easy instructions, easy integration of pieces and quality, quality, quality. For the approximately 64 percent of those surveyed who cite price as their reason for avoiding the digital revolution, they will learn that "digital" does not automatically have to equate with "expensive," and that there are easy and reasonable ways to integrate digital technology into their lives.
"When we thought about how we can give our consumers a better, less stressful shopping experience for digital products, we thought who better to team up with than RCA? The trained professionals at the RCA DEC at RadioShack are up-to-speed on all of the latest digital technology and are ready to answer consumers' 'digitally distressing' questions," Edmondson concludes.
And, If That Doesn't Make You Feel Better
The good news is that people find themselves equally thrown off by new technology both at home and at work. And, yet, more than 30 percent will still brag that they know more about technology than their friends.
Not surprisingly, the 44 percent of the survey participants who claim not to suffer from any digital distress confess that they get more than just a little excited by the continuing developments in technology and the new products coming down the pipe. They, along with the nearly two-thirds (62 percent) who've met the digital revolution head on by adding one or more digital products to their home entertainment system, are well on the way to finding an antidote for their own nasty case of the digital blues.
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