Social media platforms may be fueling revolutions across the Arab world and North Africa but, according to new research from leading innovation and growth consultancy, Britons ranked Facebook and Twitter among the Top 10 worst innovations of the decade.
The inaugural Innovation Index survey conducted by The Foundation was compiled from a survey of 2,243 adult consumers, weighted to represent UK population.
The respondents selected the products and services that had contributed the most and least to their lives.
Respondents were asked to rank their top three and bottom three in order, with 3 points scored for each percentage of the first rank vote, 2 points for each percentage of the second rank vote, and 1 point for each percentage of the third rank vote, producing a final score out of 300, the consultancy explained.
While Reality TV topped the most loathed innovations, Facebook and similar came in second. Twitter figured fourth following pop-up advertising.
Start the slideshow to see the Top 10 'Innov-hates', the products and services that contributed the least to Britons' lives over the last decade
Reality TV topped the list with a negative score of 94 out of 300."Reality TV and Facebook head the pack, both labelled worst innovation of the last decade by almost one in five respondents," The Foundation said.ReutersIVR/Interactive Voice Response on telephones received a negative score of 48 out of 300.The technology, which allows people to interact with a company’s database through telephone keypad or speech recognition, is increasingly being embraced by industries.The automobile industry is now looking to tap the IVR technology to make hands free operation possible. The deployment in automobile systems involves satellite navigation, audio and mobile phone systems.REUTERSWith a negative score of 44 out of 300, congestion charging was the sixth innovation hated by Britons.The fee for motorists traveling within the Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ) in London was introduced with the aims of reducing congestion and raising investment funds for London's transport system.£10 fee is required each day for each vehicle, which travels within the zone between 7:00 am and 6:00 pm on weekdays. In case of non-payment, a fine between £60 and £180 is levied.The traffic zone was introduced in 2003 in central London. It was extended into parts of west London in 2007. In January 2011 several changes were implemented based on the public consultation conducted in 2008.The Congestion Charge Zone is one of the highest in the world. REUTERS/Alessia PierdomenicoPaid-for plastic bags are pictured.With globally warming and other environmental threats emerging as the biggest concern across the globe over the past decade, the need to impose eco-friendly practices surfaced.In 2007, Britons used an estimated 10 billion plastic carrier bags each year. In August 2010, it was reported that the number of 'single-use' plastic bags given to customers by leading UK supermarkets had fallen for the fourth consecutive year.The British Retail Consortium (BRC), which reported that the total had dropped from 10.6 billion in 2006 to 6.1 billion in the year to May 2010, a reduction of 43 per cent against a reduction of 37 per cent in the year to May 2009, observed that the trend was "a ringing endorsement" of the voluntary approach taken by supermarkets at a time when sales volumes increased by more than 6 per cent.REUTERS/Stephen HirdDVD membership schemes such as Lovefilm got a negative score of 37 out of 300.Commenting on the findings of the survey, Charlie Dawson, Partner at The Foundation, remarked, “Good innovation is understanding what people want to do, and finding bold new ways for them to do it better. Easy to say, very hard to achieve.”REUTERS/Toby MelvilleTracker mortgages, the type of mortgage loan that follows the Bank of England base interest rate, got a negative score of 33 out of 300.According to mortgages.co.uk, a tracker mortgage, or base rate tracker mortgage, is a variable rate loan that changes rates depending on the level of interest rates set.A tracker mortgage loan is directly linked to a given interest rate and for a specified period it will cost a set percentage higher than this rate. For instance, if the tracker mortgage is anchored to the base rate at 1 per cent above, and the base rate is set to 5 per cent, the rate you have to pay will be 6 per cent.REUTERSPublic bike schemes, also known as bicycle sharing schemes, community bicycle programs, yellow bicycle programs, and white bicycle programs, were given a negative score of 31 out of 300.On Feb. 1, 2011, the Department for Transport released Cycle to Work Scheme - Implementation guidance.The DFT explained how organisations can take advantage of an annual tax exemption, as provided by the 1999 Finance Act, by implementing a Cycle to Work scheme that encourages employees to cycle to work."The exemption was one of a series of measures introduced under the Government’s Green Transport Plan," DFT informed in an online statement. REUTERS/Toby Melville
