Ofcom documents colossal mobile growth

The colossal rise of mobile in the UK shows no signs of slowing as more of us make the switch to mobile for everyday tasks.

Our propensity for mobile has been highlighted in two reports published by communications regulator, Ofcom.

The first, ‘Adults’ media use and attitudes‘, provides detailed insight into media use, attitudes and understanding, and how these change over time, with a particular focus on groups that tend not to participate digitally. The report covers TV, radio, mobile, games, and the internet, with a particular focus on the latter.

The survey uncovered a considerable rise (10 percentage points over the course of a year to 16%) in the proportion of adults who only use their smartphones or tablets to go online, rather than firing up a PC or laptop.

The second report, ‘UK audience attitudes towards broadcast media‘, explores attitudes and opinions towards television and radio broadcasting and areas such as standards, advertising and regulation.

In both reports, Ofcom hammers home the fact that the move away from traditional devices towards smartphones and tablets “has the potential to make a dramatic impact in a number of areas, including how organisations target users with their content.”

The communications regulator goes on to say that the public is increasingly using services “they are familiar with and comfortable using”, with 42% of respondents stating that they would only be willing to engage with apps that they are already confident using.

Ofcom noted: “This change is seen across all socio-economic groups and particularly among those aged 25 and over. This may be linked to the growing tendency to use digital intermediaries. The change underlines the importance of critical literacy skills. Even as search engines remain the default means of accessing information, levels of understanding remain mixed as to what their results signify, and half of search engine users are unable to correctly identify ads or sponsored links at the top of many results pages.”

The report warns that these consumers could be missing out on valuable content, pointing to the role organisations like Facebook, Google, YouTube and Amazon play in communicating messages to the public.

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