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RSSCool Not As Important As Connected For Teens With Cell Phones
Mobile Online Testing Exchange and eCRUSH, releasing research insight into the way cell phones make teens ‘feel' and the benefits they get from cell phone ownership, finds that 77% of teens cited "convenience of being able to communicate from anywhere," while 75% said "security of being able to reach family" are major cell phone benefits benefits. Much lower on the list was friends' admiration of their cell phone features at 41%.
Studying the complex lives of the 13 -17 year old set, when asked about how ownership of a cell phone makes them feel, "connected" is the dominant response.
| Personal "feeling" When Owning A Cell Phone | |
|
| % of Total Teens |
| Connected with friends | 71% |
| Connected with family | 63% |
| Responsible | 61% |
| Safe | 58% |
| Cool | 46% |
| Like I fit in with everyone else | 34% |
| High tech | 33% |
| Important | 31% |
| Fashionable | 30% |
| Trendy | 27% |
| Older than I actually am | 17% |
| Too accessible | 10% |
| Concerned about potential health hazards related to using the phone | 4% |
| Source: OTX, October 2007 | |
| Perceived Benefits Of Owning A Cell Phone | |
|
| % of Total Teens |
| The convenience of being able to communicate from anywhere | 77% |
| The security of always being able to reach my family | 75% |
| The convenience of never being out of touch | 72% |
| The ability to multitask | 63% |
| The fun of having entertainment on the go (games, music, video) on my phone | 56% |
| The ability to express myself by adding wallpaper, ringtones or skins | 53% |
| My friends admire my phone because of the features it has | 41% |
| My friends admire my phone because of the way it looks | 39% |
| Source: OTX, October 2007 | |
Amy Gibby, President of eCRUSH, said "... it's not all about ‘look' and ‘fashion' when it comes to this category, teens are practical..." The study found that of all the gadgets and devices available today, the cell phone is a teen favorite. 51% of teens said they "absolutely could not live without" their cell phones.
When teens were asked about the mobile phone features they have and use, text messaging was overwhelmingly cited as the feature they use most, followed by the ability to customize wall paper, take digital pictures, and play games which come with the phone,
| Features Teens Have And Use On Their Cell Phones | |
|
| % of Total Teens |
| Text Message (SMS) | 72% |
| Customize with wallpapers | 72% |
| Take digital photos/videos | 63% |
| Play games | 56% |
| Picture Message (MMS) | 51% |
| Download ringtones | 51% |
| Source: OTX, October 200 | |
| Cell Phone Feature Most Wanted | |
|
| % of Total Teens |
| Text Message (SMS) | 45% |
| Take digital photos/videos | 29% |
| Surf the internet / view websites | 24% |
| Download music | 24% |
| Watch regular TV | 21% |
| Instant Message | 19% |
| Download videos | 19% |
| Listen to FM Radio | 16% |
| Picture Message (MMS) | 15% |
| Source: OTX, October 2007 | |
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And, cell phones are rapidly becoming the "new" medium for viewing music videos, says the report. 41% of teens surveyed have video downloading capability on their cell phones and approximately half of those teens are actually downloading and viewing videos. Among these teens, music videos are the most watched type, followed by user generated content.
Bruce Friend, President, Media and Entertainment Insights for OTX, concludes that "As media companies move into the mobile space, it's critically important to understand how the teen demographic uses mobile technology for entertainment and the extent to which this usage affects their other media and leisure time behaviors."
For more information on the Teens Topix study, and this segment, please visit OTX here.
RSS FEEDS
Analysis of this research should show that what teens say and how non-teens interpret can be completely different.
Jonathan Hutter Garrand - Portland, ME