Mobile Phone Usage and Internet Access: Making the Case for Responsive Web Design

Mobile Phone Usage and Internet Access:
Making the Case for Responsive Web Design

Submitted by Johnny W. Brooks

for Modiphy, Baton Rouge, LA

February 2015

Summary

• According to reports by the Washington-based Pew Research Center, the usage of mobile devices, particularly cell phones and smart phones, for internet access and access to information has increased in the past decade. This includes usage among adults and teenagers with access to the internet.
• Young people, college educated people, people with higher incomes and people living in urban and suburban communities tend to use the internet more than others. In general, the internet allows people to find information, buy and sell goods and services and communicate quickly, among other things.
• Nonprofit organizations, businesses, social service  and government agencies and others with customers are urged to invest in responsive web design. RWD provides  a  customized viewing experience for different browser platforms. The website displays a different interface depending on the device used for access.
• RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN TUTORIAL: 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIz02qY5BRA

Cell phone and smart phone ownership

• As of January 2014:
• 90% of American adults have a cell phone. In 2011, 83 % of American adults had a cell phone.
• 58% of American adults have a smartphone. In 2011, 35% of American adults had a smartphone.
• 32% of American adults own an e-reader. In 2011, 12% of American adults had a e-reader.
• 42% of American adults own a tablet computer. In 2011, 8% of American adults had a tablet computer.

Uses for cell phones, smart phones

• As of May 2013:
• 52% of adult cell phone owners sent or received email on their device.
• 50% downloaded a software application.
• 60% accessed the internet.
• 21% participated in a video call.
• 81% sent or received text messages.

Demographics highlights (cell phones and smart phones)

• GENDER: A higher percentage of men tend to use the devices when compared to women.
• EDUCATION: People who are college educated tend to use the devices more when compared to people with high school diplomas or less education.
• HOUSEHOLD INCOME: People with household incomes of at $50,000 tend to use the devices more when compared to people in other income groups.
• AGE: People age 18 to 29 tend to use the devices more when compared to people in other age groups.
• In terms of race/ethnicity and community type (urban, suburban and rural), the overall percentages were about even.

Internet usage

• As of January 2014, 87% of American adults use the internet, email or access the internet via a mobile device. In 1995, 14% of American adults used the internet.
• As of September 2013, 70% of adults have a high-speed connection (Broadband) at home. In 2000, 3% of adults had Broadband. In 2000, 34% of adults had Dial-up internet connection; in 2013, 2% of adults had Dial-up.
• 14% of American adults do not go online. They tend to be older (65+), have less education (high school diploma or less) and have lower household incomes ($30,000 or less). 
• The demographics of internet users tends to mirror those of cell phone and smart phone users.

Social media usage

• The percentage of online adults who use social networking sites has steadily risen. As of January 2014, 74% of online adults use a social networking site of some kind. In September 2013, 42% used multiple social networking sites.
• For adults ages 18-29, 89% of them use social networking sites. For adults ages 30-49, 82% of them do. For adults ages 50-64, 65% of them do, and for adults ages 65+, 49% of them use social networking sites.

Teenagers and the Internet

• Fully 95% of teens (children ages 12-17) are online, a percentage that has been consistent since 2006. Three in four teens access the internet on cell phones, tablets, and other mobile devices.
• As of September 2012 78% of teens have a cell phone and almost half (47%) of those own smartphones. That translates into 37% of all teens who have smartphones, up from just 23% in 2011. (Teens and Technology 2013)
• Three-quarters (74%) of teens have accessed the internet through a mobile device such as a cell phone or tablet. One-quarter of teens (25%) access the internet mostly on a cell phone. (Teens and Technology 2013)

Teenagers and the Internet

• Social media (September 2012 data):
• 81% of online teens use some kind of social media.
• 77% of online teens use Facebook.
• 24% of online teens use Twitter, a figure that is up from 16% in 2011.
• 11% of teen social media users have a profile or account on Instagram (3% say that Instagram is the profile they use most often).
• 7% of teen social media users say they maintain a Myspace account, and none of the survey respondents said MySpace is the account they used most often. That is in stark contrast to the 85% of teens who said in 2006 that MySpace was their most frequently used profile.

Teenagers and the Internet

• Eight out of 10 teens have a desktop or laptop computer. Among the 20% of teens who do not have their own computer, two-thirds (67%) have access to one they can use at home. Taken together, this means that 93% of teens have a computer or access to one.
• 71% of teen computer users say the computer they use most often is shared with family members.
• One-quarter (23%) of teens have a tablet computer, a level comparable to the general adult population (25% of American adults have a tablet computer).

Related reports

Internet in the Workplace
http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/12/30/technologys-impact-on-workers/

Just in Time Information
http://www.pewinternet.org/2012/05/07/just-in-time-information-through-mobile-connections/

Better informed citizens
http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/12/08/better-informed/