Spreading rumours most annoying habit for Indian netizens: Study

Hyderabad: As many as 94 percent of Indian netizens surveyed by a telecom service provider feel that internet has improved their lives while 40 percent think spreading rumours was the most annoying internet habit among Indian netizens.

Inviting people to play online games, sharing inappropriate content, sympathy-seeking posts on Facebook and trolling (offensive posts to elicit angry responses) are the other major bad habits, the study by Telenor company said.

According to the study, 33 percent Indians hate excessive selfie-takers against the regional average of 21 percent.

The survey revealed that 65 percent of Indian netizens are internet addicts.

In an effort to learn more about their customers, Telenor conducted the internet behavioural survey across India, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

From profanity-tolerance levels to selfie-approval ratings, respondents across the region replied about what they love and loathe most about the net.

"This survey gives us a very stimulating way to look at who our customers are and their online preferences. As online access increases in the country, it is great to see that 94 percent of the Indians surveyed say that internet has improved their lives -- the highest percentage among the surveyed nations," said Sharad Mehrotra, CEO, Telenor India.