It seems that even in this day of privacy concerns that adults are still relatively comfortable with sharing their location, particularly for safety. That’s what the findings of a survey of some 1,100+ smartphone users has shown.
I suppose I can relate to that even when I look at my own patterns of usage. For example, a couple of years ago I would frequently “checkin” via foursquare to many locations, the primary reason was to try and get a reward of some kind. Today the rewards are all but gone, however, I do still periodically checkin to venues but when I do so it’s generally a nudge of forms, with a primary purpose of subtly letting some people know where I am – this is really handy when I’m on the road for business. Rather than trying to place a call, I can simply drop a checking and the family will know that I’m safe and sound at my destination. I’ve also been known to geotag a photo to locate my parked car or to leave some kind of a bread crumbs trail for various reasons.
The survey, conducted by VeraQuest had other interesting findings, including:
- 60% of smartphone users report that they use at least one location sharing app
- 36% use 2 or more
- 41% of adults say they are more willing to share their location today versus five years ago
- 87% of teens and 73% of adults say they feel safer knowing that their family is aware of their location
- 39% of teens and 42% of adults say they feel safer knowing that friends are aware of their location
- 46% of adults and 47% of teens say they feel more connected to others when they share their location through a location sharing app
