Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, will present the latest Project findings to the Handheld Librarian Online Conference about how many people have mobile devices and how they use these devices—for accessing all kinds of content, using apps, social media, and for specialized searches such as for politics, news, and for health information. He will also discuss broader public attitudes about why people like mobile connectivity and how they feel challenged by it.

1. The State of Mobile Connectivity
Lee Rainie, Director, Pew Internet Project
8.15.12
Handheld Librarian
Email: Lrainie@pewinternet.org
Twitter: @Lrainie
PewInternet.org

2. The Very Nature of Information Has Changed
Information
Information is…
was…
Scarce All around us
Expensive Cheap or free
Shaped and controlled by elites Shaped and controlled by
consumers and networks
Designed for one-way, mass
consumption Designed for sharing,
participation and feedback
Slow moving
Immediate
External to our worlds
Embedded in our worlds

3. Information is Woven Into Our Lives
Mobile is the needle, Social Networks are the thread
Mobile… Social Networks…
Moves information with us Surround us with information
through our many
Makes information accessible
connections
ANYTIME and ANYWHERE
Bring us information from
Puts information at our
multiple, varied sources
fingertips
Provide instant feedback,
Magnifies the demand for
meaning and context
timely information
Allow us to shape and create
Makes information location-
information ourselves and
sensitive
amplify others’ messages

4. Overall, if you had to use one single word to describe how you feel about your cell
phone, what would that one word be?

5. The basics: 88% of adults have mobile devices
331.6
Total U.S.
population:
315.5
million
2011

6. Mobile is the Needle: 88% of US Adults Have a Cell Phone
% in each age group who have a cell phone
Teen data July 2011 Adult data Feb 2012

7. Smartphone tipping point -- 46%

8. Smartphones – 46%
60%
40%
66%
53%
20%
35%
22% 20%
3%
0%
Millennials Gen X Younger Older Boomers Silent G.I.
(18-34) (35-46) Boomers (57-65) Generation Generation
(47-56) (66-74) (75+)

9. An internet device
17% use mobile as
primary or exclusive
online connection
device
– 45% of those ages
18-29
– 51% of blacks
– 42% of Latinos
– 38% of those in HH
earning less than
$50K

10. 56% of adults own laptops –
up from 30% in 2006
52% of adults own DVRs –
up from 3% in 2002
44% of adults own MP3 players –
up from 11% in 2005
42% of adults own game consoles
19% of adults own e-book readers – Kindle
Doubles over holiday season
19% of adults own tablet computer – iPad
Doubles over holiday season

12. Cell phones as connecting tools
% of cell owners
• 64% send photo or video
– Post video 25%
• 55% access social net. site
• 30% watch a video
• 11% have purchased a product
• 11% charitable donation by text
• 60% (of Twitter users) access
Twitter
2/22/2011 12

13. Location services
% of smartphone owners
80%
May 2011 Feb 2012
70% 74%*
60%
50% 55%
40%
30%
20%
18%
10%
12%
0%
Geosocial services Location-based information
services

14. Apps – 50% of adults
Sept 2009 May 2010 August 2011
100%
80%
60%
50*
43* 43
40% 38* 38
29*
22%
20%
0%
Download apps to their Have preloaded apps on Total who have apps on
phone their phone phone

15. Apps downloaders by age
60%
40%
56%
20% 40%
25%
11% 1%
4%
0%
Millennials GenX Younger Older Boomers Silent G.I. Generation
(18-34) (35-46) Boomers (57-65) Generation (66- (75+)
(47-56) 74)

16. Apps: From Superhighway to Bypass
Apps provide direct connections to information
News, weather, sports or stocks
updates
74%
Learn about something you're
interested in
64%
Get info about a destination you're
visiting
53%
Help shop or make purchases 46%
Get more info about an event
you're attending
35%
Based on August 2011 Pew Internet Tracking Survey

17. Rise of “connected viewers” – 52%
All cell owners
• 38used their phone to keep themselves occupied during
commercials or breaks in something they were watching.
• 22% used their phone to check whether something they
heard on television was true or not.
• 6% of cell owners used their phone to vote for a reality
show contestant.
Smartphone owners
• 35% use phone to visit a of smasrtphonecell owners who
website that was mentioned on television
• 20% used their phone to see what other people were
saying online about a program they were watching
• 19% used their phone to post their own comments online
about a program they were watching

19. Cell phone uses
% of cell users have done these things in past 30 days
• Coordinate a meeting or get-together – 41%
• Solve an unexpected problem that they or someone else
had encountered – 35%
• Decide whether to visit a business, such as a restaurant –
30%
• Find information to help settle an argument they were
having – 27%
• Look up a score of a sporting event – 23%
• Get up-to-the-minute traffic or public transit information
to find the fastest way to get somewhere – 20%
• Get help in an emergency situation – 19%

20. Mobile health
• 17% of cell owners have used their phone to
look up health or medical information; 29% of
cell owners ages 18-29 have done such
searches.
• 9% of cell owners have software applications
or “apps” on their phones that help them
track or manage their health; 15% of those
ages 18-29 have such apps.

21. Mobile politics - 26% of adults used cell
phones for political purposes in 2010
• 14% used their cell phones to tell others that they voted
• 12% used their cell phones to keep up with political news
• 10% sent text messages relating to the election
• 6% used their cells to let others know about conditions at
their local voting stations on election day
• 4% used their phones to monitor results on election night
• 3% used their cells to shoot/share photos/videos about
election
• 1% used a cell-phone app that provided updates about
election news
• 1% contributed money by text message
Internet and Politics 3/9/2011 21

22. News and local news
All adults
84% own a cell
phone and/or
tablet computer
47% get local news
or information on
their cell phone or
tablet

23. In-store purchasing decisions
60%
40% 38%
25% 24%
20%
34%
22% 22%
0%
Call a friend for advice Look up prices online of a Look up product reviews
about a purchase product you found in a online of a product you
store found in a store
% of all adults % of cell owners

24. How Phones Function In Our Lives
% of US adult cell owners who had done each of the following in the past 30 days…
Used phone to get information they 64%
needed right away 51%
Used phone to entertain themselves 70%
while bored 42%
Turned phone off to get a break from 32%
using it 29%
Had trouble doing something because 42%
they did not have phone with them 27%
Pretended to be using phone to avoid 30%
interacting with those around them 13%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
18-29 year-olds Total adults

25. Thank you!