Smart Phone Use in a Higher Educational Setting
INST 525 Eileen O'Sullivan
Key Issues
Smart phones now account for 49% of mobile communication devices on college campuses, up from 38% in October 2009 and 27% in February 2009. (Anderson, 2009).
IDC, an international market research firm predicts a 55-percent jump in smart-phone sales this year—a projection that could lead to an unprecedented increase in internet-enabled phone use during colleges’ 2010-11 academic year. (Carter, 2010)
Smartphones now account for the majority of mobile browser and application use in the US, overtaking access from non-smartphone, or "feature phone" devices, according to comScore. The boom in smartphone Internet access has been driven by the proliferation of devices such as Apple's iPhone, RIM's BlackBerry, and handsets running Google's Android operating system. (Marshall, 2010)
What factors are influencing the accelerated adoption of smart phones for this population?
Students are a mobile, transitional demographic. They rely on their cell phone or smartphone as their primary means of communication. This demographic is a heavy user of text messaging and they are the first to adopt new types of communication technologies. (Carter, 2010).
According to Michael Hanley, a journalism assistant professor who leads Ball State's mobile communications research program,
"Smart phones, which are simply minicomputers that often feature touch screen applications, are popular with college students because the larger screens allow for more entertainment uses," he said.
"I think the communications industry will build on this popularity among technology-savvy young people, adding more types of emerging media applications." (Survey Finds Smartphones Transforming Mobile Lifestyles of College Students. cellular-news)
The quick adoption rate of smart phones by the college demographic indicates wide appeal of this technology for personal use. Evidence seems to be mounting that students are using their phones in their academic life as well. (Ransford, 2010).
Endnotes
- Anderson, T. (2009). What You Need to Know About Smart Phones 2.0. Kiplinger's Personal Finance, 63(11), 79. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
- Carter, Dennis (2010, September 9). Year of the smart phone on college campuses?. eCampus News. Retrieved from http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/year-of-the-smart-phone-on-college-campuses/ on Sep 19, 2010.
- Marshall, Jack (2010, October 5). Smartphones Now Dominate Mobile Browser and App Use in U.S. ClickZ. Retrieved from http://www.clickz.com/clickz/stats/1740629/smartphones-dominate-mobile-browser-app on Dec 13, 2010.
- Ransford, Marc (2010, June 15). Smart phones displace computers for more college students. Retrieved from http://www.bsu.edu/news/article/0,1370,7273-850-64351,00.html on Sep 19, 2010.
- (2009, April 7). Survey Finds Smartphones Transforming Mobile Lifestyles of College Students. cellular-news. Retrieved from http://www.cellular-news.com/story/36898.php on Sep 19, 2010.