Smartphones, not computers, drive most Facebook use

Matt Vistnes
Posting 4
Topic: Technology

Author: Alexandra Chang

Publication Name: CNN

Date of Publication: May 9, 2012

Length of article: 2 pages

The Mobile Metrix 2.0 report by comScore tells us that more and more people are turning to mobile devices to use Facebook. In fact, a study was performed in March that showed that computers were being outclassed by smartphones in Facebook usage. On average, Facebook users spend around seven hours and twenty-one minutes using social network applications using their phones over a month. Comparatively, people spend about six-and-a-half hours checking their Facebooks on computers. Not only does the data show that people are constantly tweeting and sharing statuses on their phones, but it also highlights the importance of utilizing mobile devices to aid a social network's success. An example of this is how Facebook makes revenue from its ad-less application; however, it included "sponsored posts" in the news feeds of users last year. 

In addition telling us how much time people spend on their smartphones tweeting and texting, the comScore report shows that Facebook is the most used social network, even more so than Twitter or LinkedIn. It is only outclassed by Google, making it the second largest mobile property. 78 million smartphone users access Facebook on a monthly basis, and a staggering 81% use its mobile application.

Facebook has also shed light on mobile struggles in its recent IPO documents. They say, "If users increasingly access mobile products as a substitute for access through personal computers, and if we are unable to successfully implement monetization strategies for our mobile users, our financial performance and ability to grow revenue would be negatively affected." This being said, people speculate about a Facebook Smartphone. With this piece of hardware, the company could make the most out of its dominating position on mobile networking. However, Facebook has not released any plans for a specialized phone. The only thing we can hope for is if the company continues to update and support its mobile apps.

Conclusion: 

A recently released report has revealed that a staggering amount of Facebook users access the site on their smartphones. This study can not only show that people are constantly on their phones, tweeting and Facebooking, but also how useful mobile devices are in expanding a website or network. This level of usage by phone owners has led to some talk among Facebook as well, about how if they don't put ads and such on their apps, then their financial performance would be negatively affected. People wonder about a specialized mobile device designed for Facebook alone, in order to counteract this possible loss of money. A smartphone for Facebook would offer a more in-depth experience in the network, more so than a mobile app, and would be akin to the desktop equivalent.