South Africans are addicted to their cellphones, with research showing most people use them all day, in between tasks, at any given opportunity.
This was revealed in the Mobile Online flash poll 2015 released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) SA and online data measurement provider, Effective Measure.
"Addiction to a connected mobile device is not unique to our population," says ICT veteran Adrian Schofield. "We live in increasingly turbulent times, and the need to be informed and stay in touch is pressing."
Opinions of 5 760 South Africans were polled. The poll looked at mobile usage, emotional attachment and mobile purchasing habits. Some 40% were contract users and 60% used prepaid mobile services.
"The poll presents interesting findings in terms of the value that consumers place on their mobile devices and the role these devices play in their everyday lives," says Josephine Buys, IAB SA CEO.
Constant connection
"Those who have cellphones are becoming increasingly dependent on them and the world the devices connect them to," says Schofield.
"If you look at the events of the past week, at the speed at which student protests spread across the country - it would not have been so fast and co-ordinated if it were not for the fact that a large majority of the students own cellphones and are constantly on them."
Findings show respondents are using their mobile devices throughout the course of the day, in between their daily tasks, at any given opportunity. Some 79% of respondents claimed they use their cellphones while watching television.
About 15% of respondents admitted to spending five hours or more per day using social platforms and browsing the Internet. Almost 60% of respondents said they spent under 30 minutes per day on calls, while about 25% said they spent 30 to 60 minutes per day on social platforms or browsing.
Nearly all respondents (95%) said being able to search for information immediately was the most popular benefit of using a cellphone, followed by staying in touch through social media (89%) and keeping up to date with news throughout the day (83%).
"These findings indicate the primary purpose of the cellphone - to make and receive phone calls - is quickly changing," says IAB.
Schofield notes: "Any new innovation that can help us do things better also has the potential to not be useful if used incorrectly.
"A short time ago, tasks like banking and tracking job applications would require you to take time out of your normal life and go and stand in a queue for three days; now these can be done through simple apps.
"However, there are plenty of situations where the cellphone is a distraction and can easily divert users from the task at hand. This can be measured in terms of productivity levels in workplaces."
Three-quarters of respondents said they would be disconnected from the world without their cellphone, and 29% stated their lives revolve around their cellphones.
Gustav Goosen, IAB SA head of research, says: "In this mobile poll, the emotional attachment and usage stats are particularly interesting, reinforcing that premium publishers are attracting an increasingly mobile-first audience. These insights highlight the importance mobile plays in consumers' lives, and the need for planners and clients to adapt their strategies to incorporate this."
The full list of results is available here.
Share