Technology / 12.03.18

Eventbrite Study: Majority of Gig-Goers Irritated by Mobile Phones at Live Events

Access Staff

Pollstar (12/03/18) Gottfried, Gideon

Most U.K. adults would support broader measures to manage mobile phone use during live events, according to an Eventbrite-commissioned survey of 1,031 participants who attended a live ticketed event within the last year. Seventy percent of respondents found it "irritating" when other attendees took pictures and video during the performance. Meanwhile, 69 percent saw a need to minimize this activity, and 65 percent said using their phone to capture photos at an event could make them feel as if they were missing out on the event itself. However, more than a third of respondents concurred that recording pictures or videos is an important part of the live experience. Forty-nine percent admitted to taking photos and videos at the events they attended, compared to 62 percent for respondents aged 18 to 24 and 35 to 44. De Montfort University Professor Lee Hadlington noted the results indicated a schizoid pattern, in that "People are saying 'it's OK if I use my phone at an event—because I want to get this special photo—but when someone else does it, that's really annoying." Among the mitigation measures respondents supported were "no phone zones," backed by 13 percent; gentle pushes to make phones more discrete, by 41 percent; and audience spot-checks for over-filming, by 17 percent. "We hope that our new report provides a starting point for a healthy discussion on how we can all ensure to make the most out of live experiences with or without our mobile phones," said Eventbrite's Katie McPhee.

Read the full article on the Pollstar website. 

Tags: Music , News , Mobile , Consumer Preferences