Based on the results of the latest Insights Immersion, mobile social networking experienced a huge jump in use and frequency of use over the past year. Nearly six in ten college students (58%) who own a smartphone device like a BlackBerry or iPhone accessed a mobile social network at least once during the past month compared to slightly less than a third last year. While the year over year growth is quite impressive, what's even more enticing is the current frequency of access. Among the 58% who used their device to access a mobile social network during the past month, more than half (56%) said they did so three times a week or more often.
The dominant mobile social networking platform used by students is Facebook Mobile. Among the 58% of student mobile social network users, nearly all of them (96%) say they use Facebook Mobile most often. Not surprisingly, the most commonly performed mobile social networking activity was status updates followed by picture uploads/sharing, and page search.
The mobile social networking category will soon get another boost in anticipation of the version 3.0 release of the Facebook mobile app for iPhone owners. The update features a slate of new and improved features and functionality which should greatly appeal to existing users and bring in new users. Version 3.0 features a new home screen and the ability to customize it. It also offers a more comprehensive news feed enabling users to see the status updates from all of their friends. Even more promising is the ability to RSVP to Facebook created events and the ability to call friends straight from the main profile page.
To learn more about the latest Insights immersion, visit the Youth Trends Research Store
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