Among the many ways people use their connected devices, communication remains central to most users’ activities. Communication became more important than ever as employees working from home sought to collaborate and meet during the pandemic. Simultaneously, people not employed outside the home reached out for connections and information. From video calls to group meetings such as using Zoom or Microsoft Teams, many users shifted their communication patterns and adopted new tools. This MetaFAQs report details the market penetration of regular use of many types of communication tools across the US, UK, Germany, and Japan, each split by age group.
Profile of Americans playing games using a connected device
Game-playing is more widespread than many people realize; a regular activity of 128.8 million online Americans. Those who only follow game consoles may not realize the extent of game-playing extending to smartphones, PCs, and tablets. Game-playing is an everyday activity for 59% of online Americans. This MetaFAQs profiles the group of game-players using connected devices, detailing the critical demographic and behavioral factors distinctive from the average American online adult: age, age within gender, employment status, household size, and life stage.
Profile of American tablet game players
For most Americans, tablets are used for passive activities, from watching videos to web browsing. Game-playing is a regular activity for many. This MetaFAQs profiles the group of tablet game-players, representing 11% of online Americans, detailing the critical demographic and behavioral factors distinctive from the average American online adult: age, gender, age within gender, life stage, and number of PCs used.
User activities reveal ecosystem strengths
While some may argue that a smartphone is a smartphone regardless of its ecosystem, users beg to differ, as shown by their actions. This MetaFAQs profiles activity usage differences between iPhones and Android smartphones, Windows PCs, Apple Macs, and Chromebooks, and iPads, Android, and Windows tablets.
Profile of American smartphone game-players
Fun is essential, even when standing in line, and a unique segment of game-players reach for their smartphones to play. This MetaFAQs profiles the sizable, if a casual, group of smartphone game-players, the 32% of online Americans using a smartphone to play games, detailing the critical demographic and behavioral factors distinctive from the average American online adult: age, gender, age within gender, employment status, household size, and life stage.
How older and younger adults use technology differently [TUPdate]
A user’s age is often used as shorthand for estimating the sophistication, eagerness, or purchase likelihood levels of adults with technology devices and services. While age does have some explanatory power, there is much more information needed for understanding. This TUPdate looks at what people do with their devices, which types of devices they use for certain activities, and how this varies by age.
Mobile Phones TUP Lens
Smartphones have rapidly, although not completely, replaced feature phones. Smartphone users have expanded their range of activities with new uses while also increasingly migrating activities from computers and tablets. This TUP Highlights Report profiles smartphones – their market penetration, user demographic profile, regular activities, usage profile, key competitors, and purchase plans.
This TUP Highlights report includes the following sections: penetration of smartphones versus feature phones, smartphone brand share, top activities for smartphones, smartphone carrier share, smartphone usage profile, trends in technology ecosystems, major activities for a market segment, and the profile of smartphone users.
Virtual reality headset use among socioeconomic groups
VR headsets have received recent attention again after more than a decade of on-again/off-again experimentation with limited market acceptance. While the overall penetration rate of actively-used VR headsets has reached 5% for the first time in 2021, usage rates vary considerably across socioeconomic groups. Having the means to acquire all that’s needed to fully enjoy VR headsets isn’t the only factor affecting adoption as even some upper-income groups are only nominally further ahead than other less advantaged groups. The groups being reported consider age group, employment status, household size, ethnicity, presence of children, educational attainment, and other socioeconomic factors.
Profile of Americans using gaming PCs
Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, October 9, 2021
Profile of Americans using gaming PCs
- All online American adults who regularly use a gaming PC
- They number 25.3 million – 12% of all online American adults
- Defined as using a “Gaming desktop or gaming notebook – designed for playing video games, such as with special video cards and extra memory”
- Profiled by characteristics that are distinctive
- Only profiled by those characteristics which have an index of 80 or below and 120 and above – those which are 20% above or below the average by category
- Expressed as market penetration – the percentage of online adults within each group
- Distinctive characteristics profiles
- Age, gender, age within gender
- Employment status
- Presence of children
- Household size
- Life stage (age, employment status, presence of children)
- Number of home PCs used
- Technology ecosystems
- Characteristics examined and not found to be distinct
- Educational attainment
Americans who regularly use a gaming PC by age group
- Gaming PC users skew younger
- Game console use is strongest among the youngest American adults – aged 18-44
- Penetration among online Americans aged 18-44 is 19%-20%
- Beyond age 45, the rate drops steeply
Top activities across platforms [TUPdate]
There are certain activities that transcend form factors, such that they are popular with every type. This TUPdate identifies regular activities that are high on the list for smartphones, PCs, and tablets, those popular on two of the three, or unique to one type.