How Technology Is Changing Leisure Habits in London

London has always been a fantastic city for enjoying life in. With a massive selection of bars, restaurants, theatres and other attractions, you are never short of things to do when you are in the UK capital.

Having said that, the way that Londoners and visitors enjoy their spare time here isn’t the same as it was in the past. The emergence of new technology has ensured that there are now fascinating new ways of living life to the full in London.  

“TripAdvisor Android app showing OpenStreetMap” by Harry Wood (CC BY-SA 2.0)

More Time for Having Fun

The first point worth noting is that Londoners now have more time to themselves. A Deloitte survey from 2016 confirmed that the leisure industry in the UK overall was growing at twice the speed of the retail sector. Why is this? For a start, more technology at home ensures that we are freed up from the chores that once tied people to their houses for longer.

In addition, the TUC confirmed that 1 in 16 workers in the South East of England works from home rather than travelling to a workplace. Given the long commuting times in London, anyone who switches to home working using the internet will save a considerable amount of time.

Cloud computing, video conferencing systems and other collaboration tools all make working from home far easier than ever before. Even staying at home to work on one or two days a week can free up a good number of hours for additional leisure activities that were simply impossible to carry out before.

Online Gaming Keeps Growing

The arrival of new technology has also ensured that we have leisure options that were never open to people in the past. For example, playing online games at home or on a mobile basis is now a huge industry. Indeed, it is estimated that over 31 million people play games in the UK. This led to a whole new industry taking shape around the world.

Among the gaming companies leading the way, Tencent Holdings from China recently reported quarterly income of 23.29 billion yuan (£2.7 billion). Leading online casino operator Mr Green has a market capitalisation of SEK 1,968.94 million (£167 million) and games developer NetEnt had quarterly revenue of SEK 430 million (£36.6m) at the start of 2018.

It is expected that online gaming carries on growing. In particular, mobile gaming is continuing to grow at impressive rates. The option of playing games anywhere and at any time is especially tempting for people who live busy lives and want to cram in as much excitement as they can whenever the chance arises.

“android cloud app” by Clyde Darra (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Last Minute Planning on the Rise

It is also clear to see that Londoners now take advantage of technology to make last minute plans. With so many leisure options to choose from it can pay to wait as long as possible to see what the best ideas are on any given date.

This can mean looking for last-minute theatre offers, booking a trip online at short notice, seeing what events people are raving about on Twitter or looking at pictures on Instagram. There is no longer any need to plan events well in advance when it is possible to look at your phone and see at a glance where you want to be.

All of this has added greatly to the sense of flexibility that Londoners enjoy with their spare time. It is no secret that people here work long hours but it is clear that they know how to enjoy life as well.