Smartphones Affecting Behaviors Like Gaming

Category: Science & Technology
Posted: July 9, 2012 06:12AM
Author: Guest_Jim_*

Once a year researchers at the University of Gothenburg perform a nationally representative survey of media use by the Swedish people. This year the researchers have noticed some interesting trends amongst smartphone users, even when just comparing the results to last year. The amount of online game-playing has more than doubled since the previous survey and 60% of 9-14 year olds are playing one of more video games on the average day.

The survey also found that for young people (15-24 years old) only 75% watch television each day, but 90% use a social media tool, like Facebook, each day. No other age group has the difference quite this extreme, with TV viewing being more common. Younger adults (25-44 years old) were found to use the Internet more than the other groups, with 50% using it get traditional media that is now served on the web (online-editions of newspapers, for example). However, the reading of periodicals and books has not decreased in this group, though listening to the radio has.

Of course Sweden's people and culture is different from ours in the United States, but it is entirely possibly similar trends exist here as well. As smartphones can act as a gateway to things previously limited to larger computers, such as video games and the Internet, it is reasonable to expect an increase in these behaviors, as more people get smartphones.

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