Wifi is now as important as 'atmosphere' in Britain's pubs, it has been revealed. With technology on the tips of our fingers, many can't bear the thought of being offline- one in seven insist Wifi access is now 'crucial' for them to even consider entering a café, bar or restaurant.
The effect of wireless internet on our social behaviours emerged in a study of 2,000 people, and found the ability to get online is now essential to our choice of destination.
In fact, staving off boredom was deemed a crucial reason to hop on the web in public - with a quarter connecting without having any specific reason or purpose to going online.
The research, conducted by O2 Wifi as part of its 'Wifi Britain' report, found six in ten people are more comfortable spending time in public on their own now that round the clock internet access means they can log into social media in many public spaces - online access means the average person is increasingly more confident in spending time on their own without feeling lonely.
In turn, the stigma of eating out on your own is also fading - more than half the study are now happy to eat and drink alone so long as they have access to the internet to check emails, use social media and keep in touch with the day's news.
Gavin Franks, MD of O2, said:
''Britons tell us that being able to access the Internet in their local cafes or bars is a liberating experience.
''Gone are the days when you have to twiddle your thumbs or bury your head in a book if you found yourself dining alone.
"Fast, reliable and free Wifi in the places we hang out enables us to spend more time in the venue doing the things we enjoy - be that updating, posting, blogging, booking, buying or even just reading.''
One in ten people have even left the venue they were in because of a lack of internet access.
Not surprising when one quarter admit they have become more reliant on public Wifi in recent years - in fact, the average person connects to a public Wifi network nine times every week.
And a fifth of people experience frustration and even anger towards venues that do not offer them free Wifi.
A squabbling third of people said internet access was a crucial feature in settling arguments in the pub or out with friends, while nearly half rely on access for fact checking and one fifth have cheated in a quiz.
A fed up one in four men regularly turn to Wifi as an escape while waiting for their partner to try on outfits.
While one in ten panicking interviewees have done a quick search via their mobile device to swot up on a company minutes before entering an interview.
One in ten nervous first daters have even done a quick Google of their date minutes before meeting them to check the basics.
Gavin Franks added:
''Restaurants and pubs are fast cottoning on to the fact that people are much happier to spend time alone if they can busy themselves online - whether that's checking their emails or gaming.
''As a result we've seen a surge of interest from high street brands wanting to make online access as easy as possible for their customers. It's a great way for them to engage with their customers through digital experiences while shopping.''
