Mobile Usage Effects of COVID-19
By: Mackenzie Henke
Effects of the Pandemic on Everyday Life
“The coronavirus has advanced mobile usage by 2 to 3 years- accelerating our transition into a mobile-first world” (Sydow).
While mobile usage had already been growing each and every year prior to COVID-19, the pandemic only increased that usage; speeding up the process faster than usual. While COVID-19 caused a drastic change within everyone’s lives, it also caused a drastic change within the mobile/media world. People all over the world relied heavily on online techniques to occupy themselves, keep in touch with family/friends, and integrate this mobile usage into their daily lives as their ‘new normal’.
According to an article published, “From gaming to shopping to payments to video conferencing, mobile has taken center-stage in our lives- ingraining new app habits and permanently shifting the consumer landscape to a mobile-first world” (Sydow). A downloadable report highlights successful app habits, mobile opportunities for businesses, record mobile shopping/mobile payments as a result of COVID, etc.
While the world shut down and society experienced a major transformation, one thing that remained consistent was their ability to use their phones, tablets, etc.
Remote Learning/Working
In addition, people being forced to work from home throughout the pandemic also added to the statistical rise of phone usage that has been seen since 2020. According to one source, “COVID-19 has changed our reliance on technology as remote learning and working from home has increased” (Twigby). Prior to the pandemic, remote learning/working was at a limited capacity and people did not see a need for it; nor had they ever really tried it out. Once COVID-19 hit and the world began to shut down, people were given no other option but to continue their schoolwork/jobs through an online presence. This ultimately showed society that online working was possible and effective; and even encouraged many businesses, schools, and companies to continue remote learning/working methods even after the pandemic had passed.
Studies/Statistics
According to a study done in regards to phone usage, participants were asked to reveal if they have depended on their phones more or less throughout the COVID pandemic. Results revealed that “the pandemic has affected phone usage with large increases in app usage, texting and calling” (Twigby). The study collected data from over 2,200 phone users, with 54% of participants claiming that they are indeed using more Wi-Fi during this time; overall proving that there has definitely been a shift in phone usage as more and more people were being forced to stay home throughout the pandemic (Twigby).
According to author Nahtalie Nahai, “With global internet penetration rising above 30 percent, around a third of humanity is now officially online and more mobile than ever before..” (Nahai). With a majority of daily life tasks being available online, people are beginning to realizing the convenience that this option offers and have made the change.
· Pros of Increased Mobile Usage
-Ability to work/attend class from wherever you are
-Ability to connect with people around the world
-Not having to carry cards/wallets (everything is available on one’s phone)
-Market/share business opportunities with a much larger audience
· Cons of Increased Mobile Usage
-Increased amount of distractions
-Less face to face interaction/ability to build personal relationships
-Decrease in real-life communication skills
-People having access to you at any moment
Conclusion
While mobile phone usage has certainly shown an increase in the recent years following the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be taken positively or negatively depending on one’s perspective. While there are pros and cons to this new normal, and daily habits have seen some sort of transformation for a majority of society; keeping a balance and understanding the effects of mobile phone usage can allow for this new way of life to prosper in a healthy way.
Wireframe
Citations:
Sydow, Lexi. “How Covid-19 Has Changed Consumer Behavior on Mobile Forever.” Data.Ai, www.data.ai/en/insights/market-data/covid19-consumer-behavior-mobile/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2024.
Twigby. “U.S. Study Finds Covid-19 Pandemic Transforms Cell Phone Usage.” PR Newswire: Press Release Distribution, Targeting, Monitoring and Marketing, 28 May 2020, www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-study-finds-covid-19-pandemic-transforms-cell-phone-usage-301066502.html.
Nahai, Nathalie. Webs of Influence: The Psychology of Online Persuasion. Great Britain, Pearson Education, 2017.