The internet has fuelled a new range of 21st century e-hobbies and it is women who are at the forefront according to new research.
More than a third of women (34 percent) and just over a quarter of men (28 per cent) cite web-based activities as a hobby and one in seven women (14 per cent) say it is their main hobby.
These e-hobbies have emerged due to the growing popularity of cyber-based activities, such as internet auction sites and social networking on Facebook or Second Life.
Nearly a quarter of Brits (24 per cent) cite money-making enterprises as one of their hobbies. Women are the driving force behind these pocket money generating pastimes with more than a quarter of women (27 per cent) consider it to be a hobby, compared to just 17 per cent of men.
Nearly half of women (48 per cent) and a third of men said that having a hobby helps them to forget stress and a quarter of people said their hobby was a strong part of their identity. And the sexes are united, when it comes to saving towards their hobbies, with nearly half putting money into a savings account.
Christine Foyster, head of wealth management marketing at Friends Provident who conducted the survey, said: “The emergence of e-hobbies is an interesting trend, with women giving up the more traditional arts and crafts-based pastimes in favour of web-based hobbies. While many hobbies don’t cost anything other than people’s time, some hobbies can be money-spinners.
“It’s encouraging to see that people are using their savings or wages to fund their hobbies rather than splashing out and paying with credit cards or loans. Saving regularly can be a cost-effective way to fund a hobby.”
Psychologist Anna Colton, said: “The rise in e-hobbies such as Second Life and Facebook is likely to be because they make people feel more socially included. Social networking means we can feel connected to, and be in touch with our friends without having to put in as much physical and emotional energy as face-to-face contact in an increasingly time-pressured world.”
Top five hobbies for women:
- e-hobbies (Second Life, Facebook, social networking)
- Gardening
- Arts and crafts
- Cooking
- Money-making enterprises (car boot sales, eBay trading)
So how long do Shropshire women spend on the web? We asked three women to keep a diary of a typical week online.
Lucy Hounsell, aged 23 - Promotions assistant:
Sunday - A day for socialising and shopping. Luckily no work to be done. But I don’t like to stay on for too long. I would rather be out and about.
Myspace.com, five minutes checking messages.
Riverisland.co.uk, 10 minutes looking for clothes and boots. Hotmail.co.uk, five minutes to check emails. Riverisland.co.uk, 10 minutes to check if boots are in stock. Myspace.com, 10 minutes to check messages.
Working: O minutes
Shopping: 25 minutes
Socialising: 25 minutes
Monday - I have to send some pictures to a friend today. It’s great that you can keep in touch that way using the internet. I love to see pictures of my friends especially from events when I can’t be there.
Hotmail.co.uk, 15 minutes emailing pictures. Myspace.com, five minutes checking messages. Thomsonholidays.com, 45 minutes looking for a holiday. Riverisland.co.uk, two minutes checking if boots are in stock. Misselfridge.co.uk, 10 minutes shopping
Working: 0 minutes
Socialising: 20 minutes
Shopping: 57 minutes
Tuesday - More shopping today. Now I can’t remember what it was like before you could shop online. It just makes things so much easier.
Riverisland.co.uk, two minutes checking if boots in stock. Next.co.uk, 10 minutes shopping for a birthday present. Autotrader.co.uk, 10 minutes looking for a particular car that I want. Myspace.com, five minutes to check messages.
Working: 0 minutes
Shopping: 22 minutes
Socialising: five minutes
Wednesday - Still looking out for those boots at River Island but at least with the internet it’s easier to keep a daily check rather than having to visit the store or even ring every day.
myspace.com, 10 minutes messaging friends. Gstar.co.uk, 15 minutes shopping for a birthday present. Riverisland.co.uk, five minutes checking if boots in stock. Dieselclothing.co.uk, 10 minutes shopping for clothes. Next.co.uk, five minutes shopping for present. Myspace.com, 10 minutes checking message. Hotmail.co.uk, five minutes checking emails. Thomsonholidays.com, 20 minutes browsing for a holiday.
Working: O minutes
Shopping: 55 minutes
Socialising: 25 minutes
Thursday - Even the bigger purchases are easier on the internet. I am looking for a new car and I can do it much quicker if I use the internet and I don’t have to worry about talking to any dodgy salesmen. But I also love to check for clothes almost every day.
Autotrader.co.uk, 15 minutes looking for a new car. Myspace.com, five minutes checking messages. Thomsonholidays.com, 30 minutes looking for a holiday. Misselfridge.co.uk, 10 minutes shopping Warehouse.co.uk, five minutes shopping.
Working: 0 minutes
Shopping: one hour
Socialising: five minutes
Friday - It’s the end of the week. Still hoping for some luck with those boots but not ready to give up just yet. Looking for a car takes a bit longer but it’s worth it because I want a really good buy.
Myspace.com, 10 minutes to message a friend. Riverisland.co.uk, five minutes checking if boots are in stock. Autotrader.co.uk, 25 minutes looking for a new car.
Working: 0 minutes
Shopping: 30 minutes
Socialising: five minutes
Saturday - I’m an ardent football fan so love checking up on my club to see how they are doing along with other clubs. The strange thing is it’s a Saturday and not much shopping. With the internet it’s easy to do it during the week so there’s no need to rush about on a Saturday.
Avfc.co.uk, five minutes checking news updates on my club Aston Villa. Wolves.co.uk, five minutes checking news on wolves fc. Autotrader.co.uk, 20 minutes looking for a new car. Myspace.com, five minutes checking messages. Hotmail.co.uk, two minutes checking emails
Working: O minutes
Shopping: 20 minutes
Socialising: 17 minutes
Di Jean-Paul, aged 38 -Breakfast Show presenter for Beacon Radio:
Monday - Hotmail account checking emails 10 minutes.
Instant messaging with my sister on and off for two hours (After Lucas has gone to bed). Holiday site “Owners Direct” - this is a website that owners of property abroad advertise their villas online - yes, believe or not, starting to look for holidays for next year. It’s never too early to plan. Work email one hour checking and replying to emails.
Working: One hour
Shopping: 20 minutes
Socialising: two hours, 10 minutes
Tuesday - Hotmail checking and replying to emails 15 minutes. I’m on the Owners direct site for 30 minutes still looking as there are so many to choose from. Next Direct takes 20 minutes because I am having a look at the new lines online. I want a new style and it’s time-consuming looking for something different. Work email one hour answering mail.
Work: One hour
Shopping: 50 minutes
Socialising: 15 minutes
Wednesday - First stop is Hotmail to check emails for 10 minutes. Then I visit the Abbey National site checking account status which takes 30 minutes and now I see how skint I am . Then it’s eBbay just browsing, looking at handbags. I just can’t help myself. I lose track of time. Always happens with handbags but must be about 20 minutes.
Working: O minutes
Shopping/banking: 50 minutes
Socialising: 10 minutes
Thursday - Hotmail to check emails again for 10 minutes. My next job of the day online is a visit to Tesco to do the online grocery shopping and that takes 45 minutes to complete shopping for the week. Then it’s Amazon.com for 30 minutes buying cookbooks and DVDs. Can’t resist another look at Owners Direct website for 25 minutes researching villas. Ebay for just 10 minutes researching auction prices of things I am thinking of selling on ebay.
Working: 0 minutes
Shopping: one hour 50 minutes
Socialising: 10 minutes
Friday - My daily check of my hotmail account which takes 15 minutes today to check and reply to emails. Then I treat myself to a look at Boden.co.uk for 20 minutes of shopping.
Working: 0 minutes
Shopping: 20 minutes
Socialising: 15 minutes
Away for the weekend so no online activity.
Tracy Hadley, 46 - works in marketing at Telford Shopping Centre:
Monday - As far as marketing is concerned, this time of year is one of the busiest. Currently I’m working on a fashion show for half term week and the Christmas festivities. I start Monday off with looking at my e-mails and checking out the Telford Shopping Centre website to see if anything needs to be changed or updated.
Now to my next website visit. As I mentioned earlier, we’re holding fashion shows in the centre between October 22 and 26. Fashion shows are a great way of getting people to see what’s new on the high street. Sally, who is organising the show for us, has also organised a number of similar events at other shopping centres so my next port of call was her website. This was followed by visits to the websites of some of the shops who are taking part, such as M&S, Debenhams, and House of Fraser.
Up until now, I’ve rarely used the internet at home because my computer is so old and slow. However, last weekend I treated myself to a new laptop and my life has been transformed (well, it’s getting there!)
No longer do I have to wait hours for it to charge up and come to life, it’s now instant. So as the weather has distinctly turned colder and wetter, Monday night was just spent indulgently looking at holiday destination websites.
Working: Five hours
Shopping: Two hours
Socialising: 30 mins
Tuesday - Following the fashion show the next major event is Christmas, our launch is on November 8 and we are looking to have a fireworks display as part of this. Tuesday’s main job was to get up to date with where we were with this. My first visit to a website was the firework display company.
It was then back to checking our own Telford Shopping Centre site along with some of the retailers within the centre. I love cooking, and eating and really enjoy looking up new recipes to try. I find the BBC website is an excellent site to start with. I found a couple of good recipes to try on my friend who was visiting on Friday night.
Working: 5.5 hours
Shopping: 1.5 hours
Socialising: 15 mins
Wednesday - In the run up to Christmas we are planning a big marketing campaign. Part of this will be a TV ad campaign; this is very exciting as it will be very different to the ads that the centre has done in the past. My first visit of the day was to the web site of the agency that is making the ad. The company specialises in animated ads and has won awards for their work, which is great for us.
At the centre, we do like to work closely with our local newspapers so I make sure that I log on to the Shropshire Star website at least twice a week. I do, of course, receive the paper as well. At home I just spent a few minutes checking my e-mails as I didn’t want to miss my favourite TV programme, The Restaurant.
Working: Four hours
Shopping: 0 hours
Socialising: 25 mins
Thursday - I needed to start thinking about promoting our Christmas Launch on the Telford Shopping Centre website, so it’s always useful and interesting to find out what other shopping centres are doing. Some had their Christmas promotions advertised, others didn’t, but looking at all the different sites does make you realise what a powerful tool websites are.
The largest part of most days is taken up responding to e-mails. These can range from sales, to advertising to the general everyday marketing queries. I always try and respond quickly to them as it is such an instantaneous way of communicating it can be as quick as talking on the phone. However, e-mails can be too easy and I am a strong believer that e-mails should never replace speaking to someone face to face or over the phone.
I find the internet is great for getting directions, it doesn’t mean to say I still won’t get lost but it greatly reduces the chance! I needed directions to a furniture shop in Shrewsbury as I had arranged for a team from House of Fraser at Telford to go and do a fashion show there and I wanted to lend them my support. This meant that I didn’t get chance to log onto my computer when I got home.
Working: Five hours 45 mins
Shopping: 0 hours
Socialising: 0 hours
Friday - I find the internet a great way of finding out information, although in my experience, you do have to be quite specific about what you are looking for as some search engines provide you with so many sites you don’t know which to go for.
I’m currently looking for entertainers to walk around the malls to entertain customers at our Christmas lights switch-on so the website was my first port of call.
I’ve been in contact with Sally who is organising the fashion show. We were discussing the shops who will be taking part and the fashions we want to include. This gave me the ideal opportunity to have a look at their websites and get an idea of the autumn fashions we’ll be showing.
A last look at our own website and the Shropshire Star finishes off my week at work. At home I didn’t get much chance to look at the website as I was cooking dinner for my friend.
Working: Six hours 10 mins
Shopping: 0 hours
Socialising: 0 hours
Saturday/Sunday - At the weekend I always catch up on my e-mails and as I don’t buy a paper on Saturdays, I take a quick look at the BBC website to see what’s happening in the world.
Saturday Kitchen always inspires me to cook again so after the programme has finished on a Saturday morning I log on to the website and pull off any recipes I fancy trying, it’s also an added bonus to have another opportunity to see James Martin too.
This weekend I was also on a mission for my dad. He is looking to buy a new car over the next few months and is looking for something quite specific so I’ve offered to keep an eye on a number of car websites to see what is available. This is proving to be an education in itself.
So, what’s next? I’ve always wanted to try internet food shopping so I think that will be next on my list.
Working: 0 hours
Shopping: 3.5 hours
Socialising: Two hours
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