Survey Shows Americans Treat Mobile Devices As Best Friends

Idle time, alone time

When asked the primary reason for using their mobile devices, 64 percent of survey respondents said “to keep myself from being bored.” The next most popular reason, “to bring friends or family together,” was cited by just 32 percent of respondents, which indicates that Americans may prefer quality time with a mobile device to hanging out with a “real” friend. Additionally, 46 percent copped to watching a television show they would never watch with their friends, only in private. Among those who confessed to secret TV behavior, the top show watched behind closed doors was “Pawn Stars” (36 percent), followed by the “Storage Wars” series (32 percent), and “The Real Housewives” (28 percent).

Our most trusted confidante

Mobile users trust the information they find on the Internet by a wide margin – especially compared to information provided by their parents. In fact, 55 percent said they trust “how-to” advice taken from the Internet over advice from their parents. Though Millennials are the first generation to grow up immersed in digital technology, they don’t necessarily trust the Internet more than older Americans do: 62 percent of Gen Xers compared to 54 percent of Millennials trust advice from the mobile Web more than their parents.

A good friend is hard to find

Just as we get impatient with a friend who shows up late or takes too long to text us back, nearly a third (30 percent) of the survey respondents said that they will wait only eight seconds for a mobile Web page to load before giving up. Along the same lines, 72 percent said they are likely to abandon downloading a large file because of slow download speeds. Mobile device users will not hesitate to throw in the towel when response times are inadequate.

« First ‹ Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next › Last »