A recent survey has pinpointed the most common modern-day tech frustrations, ranging from impossible robot tests to seemingly functional but useless Wi-Fi connections and the dreaded smashed phone screen.
Top Tech Anxieties Revealed
The poll of 2,000 British adults found that sending messages to the wrong person or making an embarrassing typo in an important email are enough to make many break out in a cold sweat. Additionally, having just one bar of signal with the constant fear of losing connection triggers instant stress, as does waking up to find a phone hasn't charged properly overnight. Many also dread seeing their messages left on read.
On average, tech users encounter tech-related frustration twice a day, with Gen Z and Millennials experiencing it three times daily compared to Baby Boomers who face it just once.
Generational Differences
The research, commissioned by Samsung to mark the launch of the Galaxy A57 5G, which boasts water and scratch resistance along with Super Fast Charging 2.0, highlights varying stressors across generations. Over a quarter of Boomers (27%) feel stressed when they can't remember their password, compared to only 9% of Gen Z. Younger adults also get flustered when phone storage reaches capacity (22%), while just 11% of Boomers share that concern.
Connectivity and Reliability Concerns
Seventeen percent of respondents experience connectivity issues daily, such as no signal or painfully slow internet, despite 86% needing to be connected throughout the day. This leads to stress for 65% of people, with 85% valuing the peace of mind that comes from knowing their device will last the day and work when needed. The study also found that 77% of tech users are prone to overthinking in gadget-related scenarios: 41% overthink while waiting for a reply, 29% when misinterpreting a message, and 22% when a message is delivered but not opened.
A Samsung spokesperson commented: “Life moves fast, and your tech should keep up. It plays a huge role in helping people juggle busy lives, so it’s important to have devices you can rely on.”
Top 30 Modern-Day Tech Anxieties
- Dropping your phone and it smashes
- No Wi-Fi connection
- “Connected, but no internet” error
- Slow device performance
- Impossible CAPTCHA grids (proving you’re not a robot)
- Apps crashing or freezing
- Not remembering your password
- Phone battery not lasting the full day
- Getting logged out of apps/accounts unexpectedly
- Autocorrect changing words incorrectly
- Phone storage being full
- Leaving your phone at home
- Phone battery dropping below 5%
- Phone not charging overnight as expected
- Face ID / fingerprint not recognising you
- Forced software updates at inconvenient times
- CAPTCHA grids / “I’m not a robot” tests
- Sending a text to the wrong person
- Only having one bar of signal
- Running out of mobile data
- Maps/GPS not following your direction correctly
- Phone not charging quickly when you’re heading out
- Making a bad typo on an important email
- Receiving a missed call from an unknown number
- Having bad camera quality
- Headphones not connecting properly
- Being left on ‘seen’ with no reply
- Not being able to update your device when new updates come out
- Group chats with lots of unread messages
- Not being able to take good photos at night / in low light
