Everyone is Going Mobile
By the year 2018, more young people will use mobile devices to access the internet than all other devices combined. According to a study published by ZenithOptimedia, a leading global media services network, 16-24 year olds will begin using mobile devices to access the internet more often than all other devices combined in 34 of the world’s largest advertising markets. In fact, this phenomenon has already happened in certain countries such as Mexico and Saudi Arabia. The fact that so many young people will spend more time accessing the internet on their mobile devices than all other devices is fascinating to me. I think it is most interesting because one could claim that the increasing use of mobile devices to access the internet is due to network effects.
I think that the fact that more and more people are accessing the internet via mobile devices is a great example of how once a few people start accessing the internet through mobile devices, other people in that network realize the benefits of being able to access the internet with their own mobile devices and this in turn makes accessing the internet through mobile devices more and more popular. Overtime, the popularity of accessing the internet through one’s mobile device has spread throughout the world’s global network, in particular with young people. Today the amount of time spent accessing mobile devices is increasing to new highs, but even as we reach new highs in terms of usage, eventually we must reach a stability point.
One thing that I am curious to see is what the stability point will be in terms of how often people use mobile devices to access the internet compared to all other devices. I can’t imagine that young people will stop using other devices all together, but I am curious to see whether the stability point will be closer to ½ of all overall internet access which is what we are reaching now or whether it will grow to be close to internet access solely through mobile devices. My guess is that the increase will begin to decline and soon we will reach the stability point and that this stability point will be closer to only ½ of all internet access.
http://www.zenithoptimedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Mobile-Tipping-Point-16_9_PR.pdf