Mobile-Mania

Trucker in Chicago using one of the first mobile phones
Picture retrieved from AT&T
http://www.corp.att.com/attlabs/reputation/timeline/46mobile.html

This week, we dove into mobile and strategic communication. In 1946, the first mobile telephone call was made in St. Louis, Missouri. Within two years, 100 cities and highway corridors had wireless telephone service available to them. This was a historic moment of mobile technology as we know it today. Can you recall the first time you used a mobile device? It probably seems like so long ago, and that is, no doubt, due to all of the technological changes and advances that have taken place throughout the years. Mobile technology advances so much that any information you learned about it last month, or gadgets you purchased, may be out of date by now. It seems like madness. It is “mobile-mania!”

History of mobile phones

Here is a shocking fact: more people have cell phones than toilets. According to a United Nation’s study, an estimated 6 billion out of 7 billion people in the world have access to mobile phones, while only 4.5 billion people have access to working toilets (Wang, 2013). I am certain that this statistic shows how “valuable” the mobile phone is to a vast majority of people. That is “mobile-mania;” an excessive fixation to mobile technology and its benefits.

Checking emails. Reading our favorite books. Listening to music. Studying for school. Depositing checks and checking our bank accounts. Scanning store items for price checks. Playing addicting games. Tracking fitness goals. Navigating our road trips. Connecting on social network sites. Searching the World Wide Web. These are a few of the things that we do with our mobile devices, or at least that I do. And, I am one out of approximately 6 billion mobile users. How many of these tasks do you use your mobile device for?

Above any other technological device, it is typical for most people to carry around a mobile phone wherever they go. You probably have heard people imply that they feel “lost” when leaving home without their mobile device. I have. In fact, I’m sure you’ve felt the same way when leaving your mobile phone behind. Who wouldn’t, when leaving behind that one device that gives us access to the entire universe; the online universe, that is? This is exactly why mobile has become a popular strategic communication platform; and it is also why communicators and businesses capitalize on the use of mobile technology. 

Because of the increasing popularity of mobile devices, applications (apps) are being created for everything you can imagine; for entertainment, gaming, shopping, bills, education, and so much more. Mobile devices are a popular platform to do the things we enjoy and need to do with ease, efficiency, and personalization. For most consumers, apps are a convenient way to consume media and access a variety of content.

Let’s talk shopping! I have noticed that the older I get, the more I like to shop to treat myself; although, more oftentimes than not, I’m not shopping for myself. Though I enjoy an occasional purchase, I completely dislike bustling through crowds and standing in long lines at the malls and retail stores. Today alone, I made three purchases using my mobile device. This is becoming more and more common for many consumers. Shopping from our mobile devices has become a popular way to do business. What an advantage to shop anywhere and anytime! Mobile shoppers, like myself, are more likely to shop around and buy from multiple retailers. From a business perspective, this is exactly why an effective mobile strategy is essential. A mobile presence presents opportunities to “capture mobile purchases (or lose them to rivals)” (Moses, 2013, para. 1). Mobile technology has changed the retail stores and altered the nature of shopping. In India, they actually have a “mobile mall” where more than a quarter million people buy movie tickets, pay bills, and purchase a variety of items all through their mobile phones.

Just think. How has the mobile device added convenience to your life? For the common person, it has made life easier, whether we are on the move (mobile) or stationary. Convenience has become an amenity of many of our lives. Most mornings after I awaken, I generally reach for the device that is the closest to me and easiest to handle; my mobile device, whether my phone or tablet. My body is still trying to regain its strength from a good night’s rest, so the weight of a mobile device is much more effortless.

Mobile application is just as, or maybe even more, important for communicators and companies as it is for the consumer. It seems that most companies are making everything viewable on mobile devices. On a daily basis, there are at least one million new subscriptions that occur to give people access to mobile phones.  For businesses, this is why establishing a mobile presence via a mobile website or by creating a mobile application for users to download has become increasingly important. Mobile websites are a great way to display the beauty of media convergence; text, data, images, and video all on one platform. And, apps are a great way to help boost brand awareness and affinity, if they are useful, valuable, and functional. Since nearly 25 percent of web traffic comes from mobile usage, companies risk losing business when they do not build mobile-friendly responsive sites. They lose approximately a quarter of consumers by failing to implement a mobile strategy. Mobile communication is a great way to attract an audience who typically will not tune in through traditional formats, such as radio or television.  

Mobile technologies have changed cultures. They have transformed all aspects of our society, from data analysis, polling, and communications to banking, healthcare, education, and entertainment. A decade from now, we may be living in a whole new “mobile” world. It’s “mobile-mania.”

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See you next week!

Reference

Wang, Y. (2013). More people have cell phones than toilets, U.N. study shows. Retrieved from http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/03/25/more-people-have-cell-phones-than-toilets-u-n-study-shows/

Moses, L. (2013). People shopping on mobile devices visit more sites than those on a PC. Retrieved from http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/people-shopping-mobile-devices-visit-more-sites-those-pc-154157