Researchers suggest that those dependent on mobile-only media are at a disadvantage.
Although mobile media provides a great amount of accessibility to its users, research suggests that those reliant on mobile media in full are at a disadvantage compared to others with diverse internet activity.
In a study conducted by Lian Wang and Chun Liu, researchers surveyed 445 college students about their internet habits and how confident they felt interacting with mobile media. Respondents also provided information on their parent’s education, place of residence and financial allowance per month.
A major factor impacting internet usage, researchers found, was a respondent’s place of residence. Generally those who live in rural areas or come from families of low-income backgrounds, interact with simpler forms of communication.
Regardless of background and location, college students all around the world tend to access the internet for a plethora of reasons ranging from socializing to economic activity. Respondents provided details on their internet usage in each of these categories as well as their engagement with information processing activities. Simply put, these students described the patterns in which they use the internet for educational purposes, shopping or communicating with family and friends. They also provided information on what devices (laptop, tablet, mobile phone etc.) were used to access the internet.
The study found that 66% of respondents were mobile-reliant, meaning they frequently engage with mobile media rather than a desktop computer. 69% of these individuals were also first-generation college students meaning they had a lower level of understanding about mobile media. While these factors seem contradictory, Wang and Liu found that the mobile-reliant group spent more time using the internet for informational and economic services.
I found it interesting that the study mentioned mobile-reliant groups also spent more time on self-actualization activities while also using social media primarily for communicating with others and creating content. More often than not, individuals who spend time creating content whether it be for Instagram, Youtube or the many other platforms at our disposal, it is easy to become burnt out due to the fast-paced nature and constant pressure to create something that will go viral.
Furthermore, the study found that gender was an indicator of whether individuals fell into the mobile-reliant or non-reliant category. Researchers explained that more male respondents played video games that required a desktop or PC while female respondents typically engaged in casual internet usage.
Wang and Liu also found that gender often indicated how individuals respond to media adaptation, reporting that women were more strongly influenced by their attitudes than men. For additional context, this factor was considered to explain how positively individuals approach learning new technologies.
In concluding their work, researchers suggested that the roles of media have become reversed and rather than using mobile media as an extension of PC/desktop internet it is now the opposite. People tend to use mobile media as a substitute for daily online activities and turn to PC internet when accomplishing more difficult tasks.
This method of internet usage is mirrored in the modern world at large where we see connections with family and friends primarily maintained through social media platforms and information accessed through mobile apps such as Google or Safari.
Comments