by
Mark Ollig
Since
purchasing a smartphone last year, I’ve been using it regularly for checking emails,
updating my online social media, and staying informed via mobile news websites.
A
majority of us are now using smartphones, and so “cellphone” and “smartphone”
will be used synonymously throughout my column, as will “online” and
“Internet.”
These
days, it should not come as much of a surprise to anyone that most of us are
using our cellphones for accessing the Internet.
The
fine folks at the Pew Internet & American Life Project seem to agree.
They
recently made public a new report entitled, “Cell Internet Use 2013.”
This
report was created using the results from individual telephone surveys taken
from April 17 to May 19.
“A
majority of the public now owns a smartphone, and mobile devices are playing an
increasingly central role in the way that Americans access online services and
information,” said Aaron Smith, a senior researcher at the Pew Research
Center’s Internet Project.
The
number of American adults surveyed who use their cellphone to go online was
found to be at 63 percent, which represents an eight-point increase from the
survey taken in 2012. When Pew started tracking cellphone Internet usage in
2009, 31 percent were using their cellphone to access the Internet.
I
was pleased to learn cellphone owners age 50-64 are experiencing a
higher-than-average increase in using their smartphones for accessing the
Internet. It was reported 51 percent in this group used their smartphone for
going online, which is 15 percent higher than was reported in the spring of
2012.
Don’t
worry; yours truly is doing his part in keeping up with the younger
demographics.
Speaking
of the younger demographics; of the 18-29 year-olds, 21 percent said they are
regularly using their cellphone versus any other type of computing device for
going online.
“For
many, such as younger adults or lower-income Americans, cellphones are often a
primary device for accessing online content,” Smith is quoted as saying.
It’s
not too surprising that the Pew report revealed those young adults, age 18-29,
in all likelihood, will at some time go online using their cellphone. In fact,
the Pew report found 85 percent of them will, as compared with 73 percent of
those ages 30-49.
An
amazing 91 percent of all Americans now own a cellphone. The Pew report states
57 percent can be considered regular cellphone Internet users.
The
report shows 34 percent of the cellphone Internet users prefer to use their
smartphones to access the Internet, instead of their desktop, laptop, or tablet
computer.
In
addition to checking email, I am using my smartphone much more now to access
Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. I also use it for accessing popular national
and world online news sites; as well as local area online websites.
I
am at home right now using my MacBook laptop to write this column. I have my
smartphone connected to the Internet via a wireless tether from the MacBook’s
AirPort (Wi-Fi) connection.
The
smartphone alerts me to any emails, Facebook, Google+, or Twitter messages. I
use it to respond with, instead of the laptop.
Speaking
of alerts, my smartphone just whistled, which means I have a new message from
someone.
With
the increase in the number of smartphones being used, it makes sense we would
be seeing more of us using them for going online.
Smartphones,
although having a smaller viewing area than other smart mobile devices, do have
advantages; they are lightweight, packed with plenty of applications, and are
easily transportable.
Results
used in the Pew Internet & American Life Project’s Cell Internet Use 2013
report, was created from the data obtained from telephone interviews conducted
by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Various cellphone
Internet usage questions were asked of 2,252 adults, age 18 and older.
Here’s
a link to the full report: http://tinyurl.com/bytescell2013.
Eventually,
we will be seeing Internet usage reports include devices such as Google Glass,
possibly an Apple iWatch, and advanced high-tech mobile devices that have not
even been created yet.
Stay
tuned.
