We’ve been headed in this direction for a while. The popular view that Americans are always connected has grown over the years as we carry the Internet in our pocket and are never away from our digital devices. Yet for nearly 3 in 10 in the U.S., it’s becoming an actual fact.
According to a Pew Research study conducted earlier this year, 28% of Americans report that they go online “almost constantly.” That’s up from 21% in 2015, and there’s no reason not to expect that number to increase the next time the survey is conducted.
Most everybody else is not too far behind. Based on responses from other participants, 45% go online several times a day, and 9% go online about once a day (figures are rounded). Adding in the 28% who are almost always there, the overall results show that 81% of Americans go online on a daily basis.
Yet there are still some holdouts among those who infrequently or even never use the Internet. Around 8% go online several times a week, or not even that often. And there’s still a group of adults – 10% – who say they do not use the Internet at all. (It’s sad that none of them have seen your website and social media profile picture, but that’s their choice.)
Unsurprisingly, mobile devices are a big part of the results – and the reason for this ever-increasing trend. Of the 86% of Americans who use a smartphone at least occasionally to access the Internet, the large majority of that group (92%) go online daily, and 32% are online almost constantly.
This won’t surprise you either. The “almost constantly connected” group has sizeable representation in the 18- to 29-year-old demographic group. About half (48%) of this age group is online almost constantly, while 46% are online multiple times a day. That compares to 7% of those 65 and older who are online almost constantly.
So, now that you know most of the U.S. population is online with a smartphone, what exactly is everyone doing out there? Because it’s surely not using these devices to make phone calls, right?
One of the top uses for smartphone technology is trying to find where you’re going, and getting location-based information is cited as one of the most common tasks. According to another Pew survey, 9 out of 10 smartphone users get directions, recommendations or other location-related information. The large majority uses their phones for turn-by-turn navigation. (That’s clearly helpful for contractors looking for a customer’s home.)
Yet, there are plenty of other uses as well. Some are streaming movies or TV through subscription services such as Netflix; some are listening to music through services such as Spotify. Some join video calls or chats. Many consumers shop, buy products or research purchases through their smartphones. They also order to-go meals and beverages for pickup or delivery, as well as arrange for transportation through a smartphone app. Plus, this is where folks are connecting with others through various social media apps. They play games, and they email for work or personal. And of course they text and even occasionally actually talk on the phone.