For most Americans, the cell phone is no longer an auxiliary or supplementary device to their landline. About nine in ten Americans own a cell phone and almost two-thirds have a smartphone. This is evident from recent research by the American governmentalmost 43% of adults live in a household that uses mobile phones exclusively– so without a landline. As mobile devices become more common and important, Americans are creating and navigating new norms around the use of these gadgets in social gatherings and public spaces.
Cell phones can be a source of instant connection and constant distraction. Many are concerned that people's attention to mobile devices in public and social spaces is bringing them to life"Alone together,"as the title of MIT professor Sherry Turkle's book puts it. According to her, such a life is socially inhibited and harmful to local communities. On the other hand, researcher Keith Hampton, who has done researchhow people use mobile devices in public spaceshave found evidence that cell phones do not disrupt social interactions in groups, but rather serve to fill time during periods of waiting and other interstitial moments.
These are exciting and important questions. Etiquette norms are not just minor social niceties. They have a fundamental influence on human interactions and the nature of public space. That's why the Pew Research Center conducted a study on this topic.
The survey found that Americans have varied and nuanced views on the new contours of civic behavior. They sift through the neo-etiquette of mobile life – sometimes testifying to the social benefits of constant connectivity and at other times complaining about the distraction of the screen with social gatherings; sometimes appreciate the immediate availability of people and information and sometimes feel offended when others want to take advantage of it; sometimes they declare the importance of being present with others and sometimes they look at screens as a personal conversation swirls around them.
In this chapter, we begin to explore these cross-pressures with a look at the basics of always-on connectivity.
Americans' cell phones are generally with them and rarely turned off
A whopping 92% of American adults own a cell phone, including the 67% who own a smartphone. As cell phones and smartphones become more widespread and play a greater role in people's daily communications, their owners often treat them as body appendages. Nine out of ten mobile phone owners1(90%) say they carry their phone 'often', while 6% say they carry their phone 'occasionally'. Only 3% say they only 'rarely' carry their mobile phone, and 1% of mobile phone owners say they 'never' carry their phone with them.
While the vast majority of members across all age groups carry their phones with them frequently, there are still some differences by age. For example, cell phone owners between the ages of 30 and 49 are more likely to carry their cell phones (95%) than any other age group; Mobile phone owners aged 65 and over are the least likely to carry their phones with them (81%).
In addition, most mobile owners keep their phones on almost all the time. Most mobile owners say they rarely (45%) or never (31%) turn off their phones. Mobile owners under the age of 50 are most likely to say they never turn off their phones, and mobile owners aged 65 and over are likely to say they do so often. Yet more than half of these older adults still say they rarely or never turn off their phones.
Most smartphone owners say they rarely (47%) or never (36%) turn off their phones. Only 4% of smartphone owners say they turn off their phone often, and 14% say they turn it off occasionally. But feature phone owners (those who don't own smartphones) will turn off their phones at least occasionally: 16% say they turn them off often and 24% say they turn them off occasionally. Yet a majority still say they rarely (40%) or never (20%) turn off their mobile phone.
Some smartphone users say they use their phone's apps or browsers 'constantly'
Those who own a smartphone are more likely than other cell phone users to have their phone with them and to have it turned on. About 94% of smartphone owners often have their phones with them, and 82% say they never or rarely turn off their phones.
Additionally, most smartphone owners take advantage of other features on their device: 59% say they use apps on their phone at least several times a day, and 27% say they use them "constantly."
Browsing the Internet is slightly less intensive to use: most smartphone owners surf the Internet on their phone at least several times a day, although only 14% use their phone's browser continuously (about half of the proportion that continuously use apps).
As with many other technology-related activities, there are significant differences between age groups. Younger smartphone owners use apps and surf on their phones more often than older adults. About 43% of smartphone owners aged 18 to 29 describe their app use as “continuous,” compared to 26% of smartphone owners in the next highest age group (30 to 49). Meanwhile, only 7% of older smartphone owners use apps all the time, and about half (48%) of those over 65 say they use apps on their phone once a day or less.
