Commentary

Mobile Social Activity On the Rise

This week brought another study showing the steady increase in consumers using mobile devices to access social networks. This one comes from Ground Truth, a mobile media measurement firm, which found that social network activity accounts for 60% of the time spent on the mobile Internet. That's more than four times the amount devoted to the next most-popular activity -- Web portals -- which accounts for just 13.7% of total mobile Internet use. It's also way ahead of mobile messaging, which claimed just 7.4% of total time spent, and mobile downloads, which accounted for just 1.3%.

Ground Truth also found that people who use mobile social networks tend to be more engaged with those networks than people on regular PC-based networks like Facebook and MySpace.

The Ground Truth findings would seem to jibe with other recent studies on mobile-social activity. Nielsen found that roughly half of Americans use mobile devices to get on the Internet for social media. The Nielsen study also addressed gender differences in mobile behavior, finding that women use mobile devices for social media purposes 10% more than men, including "tweeting" or checking into social networks like Facebook or MySpace. Overall Nielsen found Women's mobile social network usage led men's 55%-45%.

Another study from Ruder Finn found that on average Americans spend 2.7 hours per day using the mobile Internet, with 91% using it for social purposes. Breaking down the usage patterns, 62% use the mobile Internet to send or receive instant messages, 58% email, and 45% post comments on social networks. Meanwhile 43% said the use mobile Internet to "connect to people on social networking sites."

3 comments about "Mobile Social Activity On the Rise".
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  1. Thom Kennon from Free Radicals, April 22, 2010 at 12:37 a.m.

    How refreshing - thank you Erik - to crack this morning's MP and see an entire piece, citing two different studies no less, re: emerging trends in mobile ... and not a single mention of "mobile advertising".

    These are the human usage patterns and behaviors we want to be targeting and supporting with our all-channel marketing, peeps.

    Mobile plus social is almost as juicy a touchpoint combo as social plus search. What a time to be a post digital marketer!

    Now get back out there and start engaging with our customers thru that shiny buzzing thing in their pockets, in their purses and on their nite stands.

    Thom Kennon
    @tkennon
    bigevidence.blogspot.com

  2. Themelis Cuiper from AdSocialMedia, April 22, 2010 at 9:20 a.m.

    people who use mobile social networks tend to be more engaged with those networks .

    Why?

    I want to find out so im going to do mobile today.
    just signed up for a samsung star and connecting to
    new accounts on twitter, facebook and linkedin.

    Im connecting with the vodafone 360 network that
    comes with the sim card signing up with my name
    ThemelisCuiper as username.

    OK im now on http://home.vodafone360.com/#myweb

    I do not see my personal homepage on the web like
    MySpace Facebook or Linkedin have.

    Maybe I'm wrong and did not find my page yet but
    it looks there IS no personal page witch will make this
    service less viral /usable /connectable

    So where can I meet some mobies ?
    that means back to twitter ?

    OK on the hunt for mobile social networks.

    SEO Themelis Cuiper
    Social Media - market analyst

  3. Jonathan Hall from American Pop, April 22, 2010 at 12:22 p.m.

    It appears that Social Media is driving this behavior, not the emergence of mobile networks. Using your mobile device to access your social profiles has become convenient. My wife uses her Blackberry to check on Facebook more than our computer at home. The mobile device fits in with your life and facilitates multi-tasking your social media while working.

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