For the first time in 40 months, gaming has a partner at the top of the charts for time spent on mobile devices with social networking reaching the 24 minute mark up from 15 minutes a year ago according to research by Flurry. Gaming dropped a minute to be in a virtual tie for the top spot.
What does this say about how we’re spending our time? As smartphones and tablets emerge as the “must have” devices amongst consumers, the way we spend our time is shifting. They are the ultimate time-killers when we’re waiting. Go to any restaurant or sit on any train and watch the people who are not engaged in conversation with someone else. There’s a good chance that many of them are staring down at their devices.
It also represents a shift in social networking itself. People entertain themselves when they have nothing better to do and games have always been a part of the mobile experience. Now, the “fun” is coming from social networking as more people get involved in Web 2.0. It’s taking longer to check on our friends and family because more of them are on it than a year ago and they’re posting more often.
More pictures and videos means more time spent looking at them. The emergence of Google+ and Pinterest may have a small influence, but Facebook is still the ultimate time killer for most.
Leave a Reply