Do You Really Check Your Mobile Phone 1550 Times a Week?

Recently Tecmark released the results of a survey they conducted on mobile phone use. You’ll see the results reported everywhere online as the data is quite extraordinary. Here’s a summary of statistics for an average user:

• They perform 221 tasks per day, or 1547 per week
• They start using the mobile before they get out of bed, around 7:30 am
• They continue to use it late into the night until going to bed around 11:21 pm
• In total, they spend 3 hours and 16 minutes using their mobile per day

Right now you’re either avidly shaking your head up and down saying, “Yes! That’s me” or you’re shaking you’re head the other way saying “That’s impossible”. In fact, many commenters on the articles are quick to point out that if you perform 221 tasks per day and spend 3 hours and 16 minutes on your mobile, you are doing 1 task every minute for the entire 3 hours.

That isn’t how most people use their mobiles (switching to different tasks every minute), at least according to anecdotal evidence (look around or ask some people around you!). We might spend 5 minutes reading Facebook updates, another 5 uploading pictures to Instagram, or 30 seconds checking the weather.

We certainly use our mobiles for lots of things. Another survey by Neilsen shows the average number of apps people use per month is 26, and spend just over 30 hours per month using them.

That certainly paints a slightly different picture. According to Techmark, the total usage per month would total over 97 hours, compared to just 30 for Neilsen.

I think most of the differences stem from the way the data was gathered. Don’t worry, I’m not going to get technical. Basically, in the Tecmark study the respondents answered what they thought about using their phones. They answered based on their memory of what they do and how often they do it. Neilsen used a tracking app voluntarily installed on the mobiles of everyone participating that automatically recorded their actions.

So Neilsen reveals actual usage and Tecmark shows more about perceived usage. Of course the surveys were performed with two totally different groups of people. Perhaps Tecmark unknowingly had a group of very avid mobile users!

Despite the differences in the numbers, both studies confirm one thing: Mobiles have become a major part of our daily lives.

Back to the original question for this blog: Do you really check your mobile phone 1550 times a week? My answer would have to be a resounding yes. I’m a tech addict if there ever was one. What about you?