How American generations use smartphones

People continue to engrain smartphones further into their lives, relying on them for communication and many other activities. No single communication mode has reached singularity, and instead the top activities include text messaging, personal email, and even personal phone calls. Later generations have the highest regular use of social networking activity, while earlier generations are increasingly using smartphones for online shopping and banking. Video calls have only emerged as a top activity among one generational group.

This MetaFAQ reports on how Americans use smartphones. It shows the percentage of Americans doing any of the top ten smartphone activities. Further, it compares these percentages to how smartphone users use them worldwide. For Americans, it also splits these activities by generational group, identifying each group’s top ten activities and the three activities that have expanded the most since 2019. Report [TUP_doc_2024_0212_spac] in TUP Lenses: Devices; PCs; Mobile Phones; Activities; Communication

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Headcams – cultural precursor to VR headsets?

The growth potential for wearable video cameras, commonly termed “headcams” like GoPro, has been influenced by societal attitudes. Historically, there has been a hesitation to record others without consent, which could limit the broad adoption of such devices. However, cultural perspectives can and do evolve. Case in point: smartphone users’ widespread acceptance of taking photos and recording videos. Although cultural disapproval has been against wearables that are too obvious, such as on one’s head, that may change with time.

The rise of content creators on platforms like Instagram and TikTok suggests that the broader public might embrace headcams more. This trend could provide fresh opportunities for tech marketers to promote wearable video cameras of some kind to a new generation of users.

In virtual reality, there are considerations about the cultural reception of VR headset devices like Apple Vision Pro or Meta Quest 3. These devices’ positive reception could inform how headcams are perceived in the future.

Considering the media’s portrayal, a contemporary version of “The Truman Show” concept, where someone’s life is broadcasted in real-time, isn’t unthinkable, given past experiments with lifecasting in the 90s.

The metrics in this MetaFAQ provide a solid foundation for those analyzing tech trends: the number of adults across generations and countries using headcams versus smartphones for capturing videos and pictures. This data can provide insights into shifting user behaviors and preferences and help identify which generation may adopt headcams first and how far they have progressed.

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Usage guidelines: This document may be freely shared within and outside your organization in its entirety and unaltered. It may not be used with a generative AI system without separate licensing and express written permission. To share or quote excerpts, please contact MetaFacts.

Headcams – cultural precursor to VR headsets?

The growth potential for wearable video cameras, commonly termed “headcams” like GoPro, has been influenced by societal attitudes. Historically, there has been a hesitation to record others without consent, which could limit the broad adoption of such devices. However, cultural perspectives can evolve. Case in point: the widespread acceptance of taking photos and recording videos with smartphones. Furthermore, there has been cultural disapproval against wearables that are too obvious, such as on one’s head.

The rise of content creators on platforms like Instagram and TikTok suggests that the broader public might embrace headcams more in the future. This trend could provide fresh opportunities for tech marketers to promote wearable video cameras to a new generation of users.

In the realm of virtual reality, there are considerations about the cultural reception of VR headset devices like Apple Vision Pro or Meta Quest 3. The positive reception of these devices could inform the way headcams are perceived in the future.

Considering the media’s portrayal, a contemporary version of “The Truman Show” concept, where someone’s life is broadcasted in real-time, isn’t unthinkable, given past experiments with lifecasting in the 90s.

For those analyzing tech trends, these metrics provide a solid foundation: the number of adults across generations and countries using headcams versus smartphones for capturing videos and pictures. This data can provide insights into shifting user behaviors and preferences, and help identify which generation may adopt headcams first and how far they have progressed to date.

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Usage guidelines: This document may be freely shared within and outside your organization in its entirety and unaltered. It may not be used with a generative AI system without separate licensing and express written permission. To share or quote excerpts, please contact MetaFacts.

Gaming trends and user profile

Online adults are deeply engaged in various forms of entertainment, particularly gaming. Over half of American adults use their connected devices for playing games, watching videos, and listening to music, like online adults worldwide. Despite temporary disruption due to the pandemic, the game-playing rate bounced back and grew gradually, indicating its popularity as a staple pastime. This is based on our TUP/Technology User Profile 2022 survey of 13,641 online adults across the US, Germany, UK, Japan, and China, as well as similarly-sized waves from 2019.

Nevertheless, the usage of specialized gaming equipment like game consoles, gaming PCs, or VR headsets has remained limited. Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft’s Xbox remain the global market leaders in consoles, each resonating with specific demographic groups and geographical locations. Gaming activities are part of the regular life of most online adults and span all age groups, with younger generations showing a particularly high adoption rate of newer technologies.

Despite a strong focus on gaming, more online adults use their devices for other entertainment activities like watching videos or streaming music. The global demand for gaming, whether casual or immersive, remains substantial, offering growth opportunities. With Apple recently entering the VR/AR/MR headset market, the industry is primed for potential expansion beyond its niche focus. Manufacturers may need to reconsider their current gaming-focused strategies to seize emerging opportunities effectively and broaden their market reach.

This TUPdate looks into the trend around game-playing with connected devices (smartphones, computers, tablets, game consoles), and the use of specialized game equipment (gaming PCs, game consoles). It profiles game-players by their age generation groups, household composition, and presence of children.

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Active game-players by platforms

Game consoles get most of the attention in the gaming market. Many more online adults actively play immersive or other games using their connected devices – smartphones, tablets, or computers – than use game consoles. Outside of the US, Windows PCs outnumber smartphones as the game-playing platform of choice, especially in Germany and Japan. This TUP analysis reports the number of online adults actively playing immersive or other games by platform type and country.

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Usage guidelines: This document may be freely shared within and outside your organization in its entirety and unaltered. It may not be used with a generative AI system without separate licensing and express written permission. To share or quote excerpts, please contact MetaFacts.