It’s probably no surprise to anyone just how much mobile devices have become the go-to source for information, but the results from a new survey from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project highlights the impact these devices are having on their owners’ daily lives.
During the month tracked, at least half of all adult cellphone owners used their phone at least once to get information they needed right away and 27% said they had trouble at least once in the previous month when their phone wasn’t handy. At least 40% said their phone helped them in an emergency situation.
At least 29% reported turning off their phones for a period of time to take a break. Perhaps that’s because 20% of those surveyed said they experienced frustration because their phone was taking too long to download something and 16% had trouble reading something on their phone because the screen was too small and 10% had trouble entering a lot of text on their phone.
Among young adults between the ages of 18 and 29, 70% have used their phone for entertainment when bored, 64% used their phone to retrieve information quickly, 42% had trouble when their phone wasn’t around and 30% used their phone to avoid interacting with people around them.
Pew survey highlights the tug and pull of mobility
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