Consumers spend more on digital immersion than staying warm

PC support company iYogi released survey results showing consumers spend more on staying connected to the Internet than on staying warm.

Not surprisingly, mobile phones chew up a large and growing chunk of the average household's disposable income. Some 63% of American households spend 35% more on technology bills than utility bills, according to an in-depth survey of 1,100 adults. Consumer spending is rising for basic Internet connections, various online services, mobile communication, and multimedia entertainment. "Technology is now the real utility, as increasingly households spend more on a combination of technology bills to stay connected than their utility bills," says Vishal Dhar, president marketing and co-founder of iYogi.