Not without my smartphone

STUDY One in five people can no longer imagine life without mobile devices. This is the result of the GfK study "Mobile Communication 2016".Mobile communication has fundamentally changed the lives of one in two people, according to a study by the GfK Verein. Consumers in ten countries were asked about the importance of mobile communication. Smartphones and the mobile Internet are becoming indispensable companions for more and more people. 61% own a smartphone and 54% access digital services while on the move. Even people who were previously reluctant to embrace new technologies are discovering the benefits of networking. For one in five (22%), everyday life is no longer conceivable without location-independent digital communication. This is shown by the "Mobile Communication 2016" study, which was conducted for the third time since 2012. The GfK Verein surveyed more than 11,000 people in eight EU countries as well as consumers from Russia and the USA. Even those who were previously more pragmatic are now discovering the mobile web: 34% are at least "semi-connected", for them mobile networking is an integral part of organizing their everyday lives (2014: 28%).Smartphones and tablets are replacing cell phones and desktop PCsThe growing importance of mobile communication is also reflected in the increase in mobile devices. 61% of the population use a smartphone, which is 21 percentage points more than in 2014. The proportion of "normal" cell phones is declining accordingly: they are now only used by 32% (down 22 percentage points). 77% of smartphone users access the internet with their device (up 13 percentage points). Tablets, netbooks and laptops are also being used more frequently for Internet access, while desktop PCs are becoming slightly less important.From health to shopping: everyday life is becoming mobileThe GfK Verein also looked into the question of which mobile services people use particularly intensively. For 42% of respondents, it is very important to be able to access data, pictures or music from anywhere using mobile devices. 38% now use smartphone apps such as diaries to organize their daily lives. Almost one in three (31%) would find it worse if they lost their smartphone instead of their wallet. Almost one in two internet users (45%) use a mobile device to keep up to date with world events. 39% of smartphone users consider health apps to be good support for a healthy lifestyle. 27% compare prices on their smartphone when shopping in stores.Privacy remains importantHowever, this does not mean that privacy and the need for peace and quiet have fallen by the wayside: Four out of ten respondents (39 percent) deliberately switch off their cell phones from time to time to be undisturbed. In the "super-connected" group, one in two even do this.