Is "smartphone-dependent" the new norm?

As smartphones take the foothold of the mobile phone marketplace in the United States, a term has surfaced to describe those individuals who primarily utilize a smartphone to have access to the internet. These people are called “smartphone-dependent.” The Center for Media Research released details from a series of surveys orchestrated by Pew Research Center and Jon S. and James L. Knight Foundation about such mobile users.

Of the American smartphone owner population, the following statistics can be extracted:

·        10% of users do not have broadband internet in the home

·        7% of owners do not have broadband available in the home and do not have easy access to internet services on anything other than a smartphone

·        15% of smartphone users between the ages of 18 and 29 are deemed “smartphone-dependent”

·        About 13% of people who have an annual household income lower than $30,000 are “smartphone-dependent”

·        1% of people who have an annual household income above $75,000 are also “smartphone-dependent”

·        Demographic breakdown of the dependent population:

o   12% African Americans

o   13% Latinos

o   4% Caucasian

As more people utilize mobile phones as his/her internet access point, it will be necessary for advertisers to keep that into consideration when creating campaigns.