A recent study reveals that smart phone users in the UK tend to look at their mobile handsets 34 times a day.
In today's world where electronics, smart phones, and tablets rule the market, with a huge chunk of the population owning one or more units, dependency on these devices might come to no surprise. But what's surprising is the number of times common users look or seek their phone, and it's averaging to 34 times.
A survey conducted by FishEye camera on 1, 530 smartphone users suggests this fact, saying more than half of them rely on their devices for daily tasks such as paying the bills, and shopping for food. In the younger bracket with subjects ageing 18 to 30, a smartphone is considered to be "lifesaver," suggesting a strong dependency on technology. This can be related to "nomophobia," or the fear of being away from a smartphone or mobile device. Subjects in this age bracket also admitted that they would rather look at their phones when dull moments arise, instead of sitting quietly to think.
A third of the respondents said that they usually check their smartphones during a pause in a conversation, while 44 per cent say playing around a mobile device makes commuting "more enjoyable" or "bearable."
"One thing that stood out in the study was how surprised respondents were when told how frequently they'd looked at their phone, tablet or computer. It reinforces how normal 'omni-screening' has become, " states Tim Elkington, research director of the Internet Advertising Bureau, in a report by Telegraph.co.uk.
"Omni- screening" is a situation where users must always be near a smartphone, a tablet, or any modern device. This has become quite the status quo with today's users, who are usually equipped with one or more devices.
Elkington added that this is a great opportunity for marketing and advertisers to penetrate and entice all kinds of markets, now that it has been proven that users browse on their phone more than they have to.
"Smartphones are increasingly the entry point into the digital world so advertisers should consider it as the 'first date' - enticing people to find out more at a convenient time without coming on too strong in terms of information or call-to-action," suggested Elkington in the same report by Telegraph.
