The Always-Connected Consumer: A Study On Consumer Habits And Smart Interactions

Abstract

In today’s world, where the digital environment shapes everyday life, understanding smart consumers and their use of technology becomes essential for analysing digital consumption behaviour. Thus, this study aims to investigate the technology consumption of generations Y and Z, focusing on how they use devices connected to the Internet of Things. The research is based on a quantitative method, using an online questionnaire that generated 195 valid responses, and the data analysis focused on the differences between generations and genders in terms of time spent online, the number of influencers followed, and the types of devices predominantly used. Accordingly, statistical analyses such as regressions, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and factor analysis were applied. The results highlight a correlation between the type of activities carried out and the preferred environment: people who spend more time online tend to carry out multiple activities in this space, while individuals who are more active offline show a marked preference for offline activities. Furthermore, Generation Y tends to adopt technology from a pragmatic perspective, while for Generation Z it represents a source of entertainment and socialisation. In particular, these findings contribute to a better understanding of the behavioural differences between Generations Y and Z in the context of technology consumption and IoT adoption.