People in the U.S. seemed more connected today than they were four years ago as revealed by a recent study made by the Pew Research Center.
According to the study, 68 percent of all adults in the U.S. now own a smartphone as compared to the 35 percent that was recorded four years ago. The same trend is seen among those who own a tablet. Today, 45 percent of Americans own the device, up from the three percent recorded in 2010.
"Fully 68 percent of adults now have a smartphone, nearly double the share that Pew Research Center measured in its first survey on smartphone ownership in mid-2011," the research said. "At that point, 35 percent of adults had smartphones."
In the meantime, desktop and laptop ownership showed neither a sharp increase nor decline over the past decade. Based on the study, 73 percent of the respondents said that they currently own a desktop or laptop which is slightly higher than the 71 percent that was recorded in 2004. PC ownership showed a slight upward trend during the early part of the decade which has tailed off in the last two or three years.
One particular device that has declined in terms of popularity is the e-reader.
"Some 19 percent of adults report owning an e-reader - a handheld device such as a Kindle or Nook primarily used for reading e-books," said Pew. "This is a sizable drop from early 2014, when 32 percent of adults owned this type of device."
All in all, the study involves ownership of seven devices. Other devices that were included are the MP3 player and the portable gaming device.
In the U.S., 40 percent of Americans now own an MP3 player which is lower than the high mark of 47 percent recorded in 2010.
Likewise, around 14 percent of adults in the U.S. own a portable gaming device such as the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and the Nintendo 3DS.
The results from the study were generated by conducting a number of surveys over the last decade. The reason for conducting the study is because the use of such devices usually affect how people get connected. Moreover, they also impact how people spend their time. Each type of device usage provides notable social and cultural implications which include significant political and macroeconomic consequences on the way the devices are used.
