As Technology Has Evolved. So Have Our Holiday Traditions

Merry Christmas! We know that for the small business owner, even on Christmas day, business doesn’t completely stop. Sure you can spend time with loved ones and take a couple days off from the grind, but tomorrow is another day. According to one study, people are gifting technology more than ever, so much so that new traditions that include technology, are replacing the once-held notion that technology was a distraction.

The survey called “Happy Digital Holidays: Technology, Culture and Emerging Holiday Tradition” has highlighted just how the holiday season is being changed by technology. This whole concept is not that surprising. Consider how much technology has become a part of our lives in recent times, and how much we typically rely on it; not to mention how eCommerce has changed the way people buy and receive goods (especially around the holidays).

From communicating and managing busy schedules, to the content consumption that has helped define an entire generation, technology is a static part of people’s lives. The surprising aspect of this for many, is that technology isn’t just being used more by everyone around the holidays, it is being integrated into typical holiday traditions. Some statistics include:

• More than 22 percent of men keep a family calendar to track the holiday activities
• More than 40 percent of people use social media to keep track of holiday events
• Around one of four people will use video calling in lieu of the phone
• Over half of people use social media to keep in touch with friends and family
• Over half of drivers use map applications that run on GPS technology to get to their destinations
• Over 10% of people will send virtual gifts this Christmas

As technology becomes a larger part of everyone’s life, and people don’t have the same amount of liberties to take time off from their regular tasks, expect to see technology become a mainstay in new Christmas traditions.

Has your family developed any new traditions with the use of new technologies? Let us know in the comments section below. From all of us at Horne & Benik, have a very merry Christmas!