We're dependent on tech - but it fails us every week

Technology is all fun and games – until it fails. And for nearly one in two people, that happens once a week or more.

That’s according to the results of a new a study by CRITICAL Software, whose survey of 2,000 people also found that only half of people think the tech in their lives is properly tested before being sold, despite 98 per cent stating that the reliability of the tech they use is important.

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Furthermore, 95 per cent of people say that having technology properly tested by industry experts is important, much more than those who stress the importance of the brand behind the tech (73 per cent), where it was purchased (70 per cent), or where it was made (61 per cent).

The study also found that people prefer to use tested technology that is proven to work over new tech that is completely new.

Just over half (52 per cent) say that using the latest and newest forms of technology is important to them, while 95 per cent say that technology that’s proven to work is important.

When asked what the most important reason for technology needing to be reliable is, 61 per cent of people identify safety or security as their main concern, with the next most important reason being ease of use (11 per cent).

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“For all the awe-inspiring developments, people still seem to have concerns about the reliability of the technology we use in our lives,” says Nuno Silva, CRITICAL Software’s Chief Test Engineer.

“The pressure to release new technologies can sometimes come at a cost to reliability.

“The problem with this is that more and more technologies are becoming critical to our day-to-day lives, impacting things like safety and security, and the consequences of getting these things wrong can be catastrophic.”

Half of people say that a high price point offers them little reassurance that an item of technology is reliable, while 71 per cent say celebrity endorsement does little to persuade them.

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“Today, more and more technologies are being used in important systems,” says Silva.

“ For example, modern cars include complex systems that are increasingly responsible for safety features and banks use advanced security technologies to protect online systems.

As these kinds of technologies have a bigger impact on our lives, the importance of ensuring they are reliable is more important than ever.”

When asked about the future, 42 per cent believe technology will be more reliable, 42 per cent think it will remain the same and only 6 per cent of people think that technology will become less reliable. Just 10 per cent are not sure.