A woman uses a mobile device to take a photograph Dec. 17, 2015, in Glendale, California. (AP Photo)
Americans are very attached to their electronic devices, especially their mobile phones.
So much so that nearly half of us — 48 percent — check our smartphones up to 25 times per day. Collectively, Americans look at their phones 8 billion times a day, according to Deloitte’s 5th Global Mobile Consumer Survey.
Some of us (17 percent) check our phones as soon as we wake up, while 43 percent look at their phone within five minutes.
Unsurprisingly, the heaviest mobile usage is among people between the ages of 18 and 24, who look at their phone 74 times a day. For 97 percent of those young people, phone usage starts within three hours of waking up in the morning.
The green bar represents 2014 while the blue bar represents 2015.
But America’s mobile phone obsession isn’t just limited to the youngest generations. Among people of all ages, half report checking their phones one last time about 15 minutes before going to sleep at night.
Overall enthusiasm for electronic devices seems to be growing.
Smartphone ownership is up 9 percent while the number of people who own tablets increased 10 percent in 2015.
Seventy percent of Americans now own smartphones while more than half (51 percent) own tablets. Fourteen percent of people surveyed said they own wearable electronic devices.
Almost 1 in 10 Americans (9 percent) own all three devices.
Americans are also using their electronic devices while engaging in a number of other activities. They say they use their phone simultaneously at some point while out shopping (92 percent), talking to family and friends (87 percent), watching TV (87 percent) and while dining out (81 percent).
Using mobile devices to make in-store payments almost quadrupled, going from 5 percent in 2014 to 18 percent in 2015. However, more than one-third of Americans (36 percent) don’t see the point of using their mobile phones to make in-store payments.
While they aren’t excited about in-store payments, Americans do remain interested in the “next big thing”, such as self-driving “smart” cars.
They’re drawn by the possibility self-driving cars will eliminate the stress of driving, relieve the worry induced by getting directions and worrying about getting lost, and because smart cars would enable us to multitask while driving.
While Americans love their electronic devices, almost 1 in 3 worry about privacy issues. Thirty-one percent of people surveyed say they are concerned about their mobile activity being recorded or tracked.
I think this grossly underestimates the actual number. I alone check mine at least 8 billion times a day. I don’t know how I ever lived without it and If I didn’t have it close by at all times I’d have a panic attack. I depend on it for everything. BTW folks, the new rules of the game are…the one who dies with the most apps wins. I’m at over 300 now and growing almost every day.