Social Media Users In The UK Going Mobile
Smartphones prove the perfect partner for social media
Social Media fans in the UK are converting from computers to mobile devices, as the main way to access digital news. They are abandoning their desktops and laptops in favour of mobile devices, where there is opportunity to get updates on smartphones and tablets on the go.
Source: onlinesocialmedia.net
In a report published by Oxford University’s Reuters Institute, it was seen that the proportion of consumers who rely on a computer to receive news online has fallen by 23 percentage points in the last 12 months to 57pc. Smartphones are now the dominant device to receive news online, and the number here has gone up to 24pc. This is an increase of 11pc, and in the same period, tablets were also up 11 percentage points.
The shift in hardware is part of a broader change, and because of this there will be potentially profound effects on society according to the author of the report. One being the emergence of an ‘echo chamber’ effect as mobile consumers rely on increasingly limited sources to make sense of the vast choice online.
The director of the Reuters Institute, Dr David Levy said: “In some countries such as the UK the established news brands have retained their loyalty in the more competitive online environment but the rapid growth of social media as a way of discovering and consuming news has a range of possible ramifications.”
He also added: “While choice proliferates, consumption may narrow; reliance on recommendations from like-minded friends could mean people are less exposed to a broad news agenda.”
“As the ways of reading change, some people may operate in a news echo chamber where they are less likely to be exposed to other content through chance.”
Source: business2community.com
The report highlights some interesting facts, and it appears that some readers are now committed to news providers amid the rapid change. Of those who pay for digital news, 63pc do so via a subscription based service. This is compared with 42pc just a year ago, and this is due to the reputations of the individual reporters and commentators becoming a selling point.
It seems as if the uprising of mobile devices is not slowing down, and social media has played a massive part in this. The emergence of smartphones has enabled people to literally do anything with their phones. This includes buying groceries, booking holidays, and paying bills, and the need for computers is dying because of this. News apps have made it easier for people to keep track of what is happening in the world, and broadcasters such as Sky News give users the opportunity to enable Push Notifications, and through this people can be sent breaking news as it happens.
Social media is proving that it has the power once again, and its effect on society is becoming larger by the day. Mobile connectivity is definitely on the up, and it has been for a while, but whether is will kill the age of desktop computers remains to be seen. The only proof one needs when debating the influence of mobile devices is just to look around. The majority of people are fixed to their phones, and pose in a position that usually involves their heads facing downwards.
Social media will continue to develop very quickly, but there is a feel that the future for such communication lies at the little devices we call smartphones.
Alex is an English Literature and Sociology undergraduate whose love for written word has led him to write about some obscure topics in his time. Currently a content writer at Social Media Frontiers, be sure to follow him @AlexSatSMF.
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Social Media Users In The UK Going Mobile
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Monday, June 16, 2014
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Reviewed by Unknown
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Monday, June 16, 2014
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