If you sat in a public place for a few minutes today, you could probably count dozens of people using a cell phone. Talking, texting, emailing and Tweeting, these people are part of the fast growing percentage of Americans going online from a mobile device.
The Pew Internet & American Life Project has produced a fantastic report on mobile access in 2010. A few points to note:
- 40% of adults, more than 90 million Americans*, are using the internet, email or instant messaging from a mobile device
- 59% of adults, more than 134 million Americans*, now access the internet wirelessly or from a cell phone. While ‘wirelessly’ can sound a bit vauge, find some context in this new thing called the iPad.
- While adults 18-29 are the most prevalent mobile users, the fastest growth year to year is among those 39-40.
Why does this matter?
Clearly, mobile is growing beyond teens and young adults into demographics more likely to both take financial action and vote.
Political and awareness campaigns must prepare for the influx of online traffic they will get from mobile devices. As with many online tools, the niche is becoming the norm. Mobile versions of websites used to be nice-to-haves, but are quickly becoming can’t-do-withouts. Email marketing must adapt to be effective and user-friendly for mobile only users. Strong evidence of the future of mobile is in the commerce platforms, namely Apple’s iAd, that are being developed to take advantage of mobile growth and will make mobile marketing more accessible to the masses.
Be prepared to take part in the mobile world if you want to connect your message with the people that need to hear it.
