The Mobile Web Takes Over for Generation Y

Mobile browser maker Opera has released its latest report on the mobile Web and this time it’s come to a conclusion you’ll arrive at soon enough as the family gathers for the holidays and everyone under 30 has their nose buried in a mobile phone the whole time – "Generation Y chooses the mobile Web".

In fact, most 18-27 year-olds surveyed in the report user their mobile phones to browse the Web more often than a desktop or laptop. The report offers a number of telling statistics on where the world is headed and it all boils down to one word – mobile.

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According to Opera, the largest demographic of Opera users are between the ages of 18- and 27-years old in 13 countries representing major and emerging markets. The report highlights show mobile phones becoming ubiquitous in this generation, with definite variations:

• Almost 90% of respondents in the United States aged 18-27 have used their phones to share pictures. Of the profiled countries, Vietnam — at 67% — had the lowest use of mobile phones to share pictures.
• Respondents in the United States are least likely to have asked someone out on a date via SMS (44%). Respondents in China (84%), Germany (84%) and Vietnam (83%) are most likely to have used SMS texts to ask someone out on a date.
• Generation Y in both China and the United States share a disdain for printed newspapers. 53% of respondents in the United States and 57% of respondents in China rarely or never read physical newspapers.
• Watch your privacy policies. Respondents in South Africa (49%) and the United States (44%) were somewhat to very uncomfortable sharing their personal information online.

“We have often said that the next generation will grow up knowing the Web mostly through their mobile phones,” said Opera co-founder Jon von Tetzchner of the results. “We see this trend already emerging in different regions around the world. The mobile Web will bring a profound change in how we connect with one another. I think the results from this survey already show that change taking place.”

Interestingly, the report also found that countries with the highest percentage of users using desktops and laptops were also those with the highest percent of smartphones. That is, smartphones are not replacing laptops and desktops, but rather going hand-in-hand. "This result," states the report, "presents a challenge to the long-standing belief that smartphone uptake will be the major driver of mobile web usage globally."

If you have any doubts, just wait until the family gathers for the holidays and see for yourself – Generation Y certainly has chosen the mobile Web.

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