66% of people in the UK keep their smartphone with them 24/7

Research firm eMarketer has this week released a new report on UK media consumption in a multi-channel world. The report, unveiled at Facebook’s London HQ, reveals that advances in mobile device ownership have brought about a new balance in the way people consume media.

Although consumption of television content is rising – driven by new, non-traditional platforms like Netflix, YouTube and other online video services – overall time spent with broadcast television has been surpassed by digital for the first time. In addition the report found:

• Mobile is at the point of surpassing traditional desktop internet usage
• Overall time spent with media has increased by 30 minutes to 8 hours and 39 minutes
• UK smartphone penetration will top 50% in 2014
• UK tablet penetration will reach 38% in 2014

eMarketer gathered its findings from an analysis of thousands of data points from government, academic, for-profit and non-profit sources. These multiple perspectives allow eMarketer to spot trends that may not be apparent when relying on a single source or outlook.

Time spent with mobile has grown from 15 minutes in 2010 to 1 hour and 49 minutes this year, an increase of 627%. One of the factors behind this dramatic shift to mobile is the rise of web browsing on mobile devices. eMarketer looked at data from Arbitron Mobile and found that 86% of UK smartphone owners accessed social media last year, for roughly 26 minutes a day.  So just how much web browsing is takes place on a daily basis.

The report cites multiple sources of research indicating that people increasingly feel that they can’t live without their smartphone – 66% of people in the UK keep their smartphone with them 24/7, while 76% of us check it while lying in bed. “‘Online’ is no longer somewhere we go, it’s something we are; a persistent state of constant connectivity,” said eMarketer’s Editorial Director, Ezra Palmer.

So it’s a good job that here at Fluid Web Development we have always placed such emphasis on Responsive Web design and will continue to do so.

To get the full picture, check out eMarketer’s official press release.