The share of adults using home computers for work activities has declined sharply from a mid-pandemic peak. Current levels are below pre-pandemic levels. Some of the decline is due to many employees returning to their workplaces. Another factor is the long decline in the use of home computers as online adults embrace their smartphones for an increasing set of activities. This MetaFAQs reports on the percent of online adults using a home computer for any work-related activities from 2019 through 2022, both in the US as well as globally – US, Germany, UK, Japan, and China.
Which activities are primarily done using smartphones, computers, or game consoles?
Smartphones have continued to expand in their use as Americans’ primary connected devices, displacing home and work computers. However, some activities are done primarily with home computers, work computers, and game consoles. Most computer-focused activities are being done by somewhat older Americans, while immersive gaming is done by younger Americans using game consoles.
This TUPdate looks at the primary types of devices used for a wide range of activities: shopping, entertainment, work-related activities, productivity, social networking, cloud storage, communication, and many others. These have been split by age group.
College students aged 18-24 are uniquely creative
Young college students have long been a favorite for technology companies, mainly due to their eagerness to use technology, openness to experimentation, and a quest to establish brand dominance early. Younger adults are widely appreciated for their creativity, such as being exhibited on sites such as TikTok. However, the pandemic and economic shifts have impacted young adults, college students, and especially young college students. This MetaFAQs reports on the top 10 activities college students aged 18 to 24 use regularly with a smartphone, computer, or tablet, as well as those being done at a substantially higher rate among students than the average online adult. Comparisons include Americans and a global view of adults in the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and China.
Work follows employees home, although less so than last year
Home computers – those acquired with personal funds – are used by most employees for work-related activities. Americans and employees in Germany, the UK, Japan, and China peaked in 2021 and subsided in 2022. This MetaFAQs reports on employees using a home computer for work-related activities. It details the work activities with home computers, from communication to collaboration and productivity. As a historical contrast, it includes comparable results from the 1987 TUP/Technology User Profile wave.
Smartphones achieve usage primacy
Smartphone primacy over personal computers has been reached, as activities from entertainment to productivity are more widely used. Productivity and collaboration activities were the most recent to reach the broadest usage. This MetaFAQs reports on the trend in the primacy of smartphones as compared to computers across eight classes of activities: entertainment, communication, social networking, graphics, entertainment, productivity, information, and cloud. It reports on the primary device type for each class of activity for 2019 through 2022 among adult users in the US and globally: the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and China.
Hybrid work from home arrangement likely to continue
Employees and employers have made some of the most substantial changes since the pandemic, with many quickly shifting to working from home. The most significant expansion has been in hybrid working arrangements, unlikely to change within a year. This MetaFAQs reports on online employees, their frequency of working from home before the pandemic, and their expectations in a year.
Device hours declined worldwide
During the COVID pandemic and its interruption to workplace patterns, online adults worldwide shifted how they use technology. Their total usage has declined, especially with computers. This MetaFAQs reports the four-year trend in the average weekly use of connected devices – computers, smartphones, and tablets.
Trends in webcam and video calls/meetings usage
Are video calls and meetings as widespread as tech media implies? How much have webcams and video calls and meetings reached into the everyday experience of the average online adult? This MetaFAQs reports on the usage trend since before the pandemic for online adults in the US, the UK, Germany, and Japan. It further splits video calling/conferencing by smartphone, home PC, or work PC. Furthermore, because change has not affected everyone the same, it details the trend among life stage segments – employment status, age group, and presence of children.
Profile of Americans using Snapchat
Snapchat came strongly out of the gate on its inception. While it hasn’t replaced behemoth Facebook or Instagram (yet), it has managed to gain the regular attention of America’s youngest female adults. This MetaFAQs profiles American Snapchat users by several critical demographic and behavioral factors distinctive from the average American online adult: age group and age within gender, employment status, household size, life stage, and mix of technology ecosystems.
Profile of Americans who regularly participate in video meetings
After the emergence of COVID and the rise of increasingly hybrid and remote work environments–are video meetings the new normal? 38% of all online American adults, or 83.8 million, regularly participate in video meetings. This MetaFAQs profiles those who regularly participate in video meetings by several critical demographic and behavioral factors distinctive from the average American online adult: age and gender; employment status; life stage (age, employment status, presence of children); the number of PCs used and technology ecosystem entrenchment. Report [TUP_doc_2022_0722_mode] in TUP Lenses: Activities, Communication.