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More Than 80% of US Adults Get News On Their Phones (axios.com)

Posted by msmash on from the changing-patterns dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: More than 80% of U.S. adults get news on their phones -- up from roughly half of Americans just four years ago, according to a new survey from Pew Research Center. Most of that growth comes from adults older than 65 whose news consumption via mobile spiked almost 25% in the last year, and has tripled over the past four years.

67 comments

  1. The real question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    But the real question is whether you can call what they get 'news'.

    1. Re:The real question by DickBreath · · Score: 1

      Some call it fake news. CNN calls it BREAKING NEWS. Even if it is trivial.

      --

      I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
    2. Re:The real question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Part of the 20% who doesn't. And proud of it.

    3. Re:The real question by lactose99 · · Score: 1

      I call it porn

      --
      Fully licensed blockchain psychiatrist
    4. Re:The real question by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 1

      I call it porn

      We call it maize. Wait, no, that's corn. Sorry.

    5. Re:The real question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My work phone seems to get mostly Washington Post, which has some pretty embellished articles. Mostly propaganda. I'm in Canada, wish I could remove them.

    6. Re:The real question by unixisc · · Score: 1

      Chances are you could download an app from whatever source you trust, be it PBS or Breitbart, and have it on your phone. For you, it would be news. It's a far better solution than the bundled in news packages from Google, Apple or Microsoft, that pre-select their favorite sources, like the Guardian (which hardly makes sense: sitting in the US, why should I look at a British paper for what's going on here, regardless of my political opinions? I don't read the Daily Telegraph, The Times or Daily Mail either).

      Ironically, in Microsoft's News app in Windows 8 (on the PC), it was very customizable: one could put in one's preferred news sources, and get just that. Now, while Microsoft in theory still has that, they still forcefeed you stuff like WaPo, Guardian, NYT, et al. I've deleted that app from my phone, and Apple's too. Just get the apps from whoever your preferred news vendor is, and go w/ it. If I'm not a Leftist, I do not want to be force fed MSM excrement by the Gates or Nadellas or Cooks or Schmidts.

    7. Re:The real question by Maritz · · Score: 1

      Setting the bar high for yourself there, I see.

      --
      I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
    8. Re:The real question by Maritz · · Score: 1

      Thanks for sharing how you created a little echo-chamber bubble for yourself. Feels good I bet.

      --
      I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
  2. And 80% of those from Facebook Fake News by bobbied · · Score: 2

    Hey, if they can make up statistics, I can too...

    --
    "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  3. News on the phone... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My wife just called, she told me she is leaving me with a younger man. I guess this counts as getting the news.

    1. Re:News on the phone... by sexconker · · Score: 2

      Congrats! Enjoy the younger man.

    2. Re:News on the phone... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      she is leaving me with a younger man

      So, you're gay?

    3. Re:News on the phone... by DickBreath · · Score: 1

      So you got the news, and it sounds like good news.

      --

      I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
  4. Mobile not preferred source of news by by+(1706743) · · Score: 4, Informative
    From the study linked in TFA, this number (80%) does not represent primary or preferred, but seems to mean "any news":

    Even though a large number of older adults are getting news on mobile devices, that doesn’t mean they prefer it. Across all adults, a clear majority of those who get news on both mobile devices and desktop/laptop computers prefer to get their news on mobile (65%). But those 65 and older are the only age group in which less than half prefer to do so: Only 44% prefer mobile, compared with about three-quarters of those 18 to 29 (77%), figures that have remained steady for both groups over the past year. In the next-highest age group, those 50 to 64, about half now prefer to get their news on mobile (54%), up from about four-in-ten (41%) a year ago.

    (TFS didn't claim that 80% preferred mobile, but I thought it was mildly ambiguous.)

    1. Re:Mobile not preferred source of news by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      (TFS didn't claim that 80% preferred mobile, but I thought it was mildly ambiguous.)

      I read it close to that too. I read it as primarily got their news from mobile.

      Saying that people get some news from mobile doesn't really mean anything.

  5. THIS JUST IN TO THE NEWSROOM: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    More Than 80% Of U.S. Adults Are Stupid.
    Film At Eleven ( Idiocracy )

    1. Re:THIS JUST IN TO THE NEWSROOM: by thinkwaitfast · · Score: 1

      50% of Americans have an IQ less than 100

    2. Re: THIS JUST IN TO THE NEWSROOM: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and 75% of Slashdot users.

  6. So What? by apoc.famine · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How is this newsworthy? And I actually looked at the article, and there's no additional content there.
     
    It was newsworthy when we switched from newspapers and the nightly news to the internet, for sure. But why would anyone care what device people use to get their internet news? Does the smaller screen of the phone change the meaning? (And no, that's a rhetorical question. There is no additional content in the article which would add anything remotely of value.)

    --
    Velociraptor = Distiraptor / Timeraptor
    1. Re:So What? by Hadlock · · Score: 4, Interesting

      There's a finite number of advertising dollars, there's a finite number of eyeballs, and you want to target the most eyeballs per dollar of your target market, so you need to know how they're consuming media/news to do that effectively.
       
      Marketing dollars fund the news companies/channels via the ads they buy, and those companies need to know where the viewers are, so that their sales people know what kind of advertising product/space to marketing buyers.
       
      Television and Radio are known markets, very stable, we have a standard 30 second spot for both radio and TV, you can compare advertising costs in different markets very easily. Web is consumed in two different ways (At least) desktop and mobile, which are two very different use cases and factors, much like surfing at your desk at the office vs listening to the radio on your morning commute. You need to accomodate for those form factors and determine if you're going to do a 50/50 split or 90/10 split.
       
      What this PR release is trying to point out is that seniors, who typically have been in the Television/Radio advertising market, have now begun turning to the mobile advertising market, and marketers should be talking increasingly to the mobile sales guy at the NYT/WSJ/Huff Post etc etc, rather than the television sales guy at Fox News, CNN, CNBC etc etc if you want to target all of the 65 and above demographic.

      --
      moox. for a new generation.
    2. Re:So What? by skirmish666 · · Score: 1

      More than 80% of U.S. adults get news on their phones, the rest are reading this article.

      --
      Sigger than your average
    3. Re:So What? by Mandrel · · Score: 1

      Mobile being so bad for banner ads is encouraging a move to "native ads" (advertorial) and "earned media" (PR), which is an advance for your eyes but not for your mind.

  7. How may exercise critical thinking when they read? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just asking...

  8. 80%er here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I get my news straight from the umpa lumpa's tiny fingers @realDonaldTrump.

  9. 80% of U.S.A. adults get "news" on their phones by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 4, Funny

    And by "news" we really mean "porn".

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
    1. Re:80% of U.S.A. adults get "news" on their phones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If PornHub had a news service I would trust it

    2. Re:80% of U.S.A. adults get "news" on their phones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And by "porn" do we mean "real porn" or "fake porn"?

    3. Re:80% of U.S.A. adults get "news" on their phones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And by "adults" we mean 'teenage boys' and by 80% we mean 100%.

  10. More Than 90% of US Adults Get Porn On Their Phone by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 1

    More than 90% of U.S. adults get porn on their phones -- up from roughly half of Americans just four years ago...

  11. Proofreading is your friend by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 2

    Did you mean "How many exercise critical thinking when they read?"

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
    1. Re:Proofreading is your friend by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think he wrote what he meant, except for leaving off an "I" as in "How may I exercise...". Many people could use help exercising critical thinking these days, it's good to ask for help when you realize you need it. For example, if the poor proofreading AC above, apparently only capable of asking questions in short sentence fragments, were to learn to exercise critical thinking he may somehow be elected to a second term.

  12. Not by choice by darkain · · Score: 2

    I don't get it by choice. Google Now forces bullshit I don't give two fucks about down my throat.

    1. Re:Not by choice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The real problem are the people who seem to think they a some kind of oracle if the constantly read depressing news items, out loud, to anyone in range. Nice when you go to the trouble to bypass all news from any source on your own phone because you just can't find it within yourself to care any more.

      Try dropping all news from six months. Other than becoming more relaxed nothing changes. When you come back you'll notice the news is entirely unchanged in content and still contains nothing that will help you in any way.

  13. _some_ of their news by OffTheLip · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I get news from a variety of sources. If my mobile device is most handy that's my source. Perhaps the headline should read "80% of US adults get their news on what they use."

    1. Re:_some_ of their news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      some also get all of their news from Facebook.....! I feel sorry for them

    2. Re:_some_ of their news by acrimonious+howard · · Score: 1

      I get news from a variety of sources. If my mobile device is most handy that's my source. Perhaps the headline should read "80% of US adults get their news on what they use."

      Or, "80% of US adults get their news on what's available in the bathroom."

  14. Fake News by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

    Look, most of that is fake news from the Russian bots.

    This is why I curate my twitter feed and listen to podcasts from the BBC CBC and NPR

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
    1. Re:Fake News by liquid_schwartz · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure how the Brits view BBC in terms of objectivity, also unsure how the Canadians view CBC, but NPR definitely has a bias. Mostly of the style where they report on half the story for almost the entire time while leaving the other half either unsaid or at most a short comment or two.

    2. Re:Fake News by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

      Agreed, NPR is definitely right of center. But the Scots and Welsh and Irish would say the same about the BBC.

      --
      -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
    3. Re:Fake News by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      Agreed, NPR is definitely right of center.

      So you don't really listen to NPR. Or you're trying to be sarcastic. Can't tell.

    4. Re:Fake News by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

      I stand by my statement.

      --
      -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
    5. Re:Fake News by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      So basically, you are extreme leftist so anything not at your level is right of your (not the) center.

      I think even NPR would acknowledge they have a leftist bias they would just argue how much that effects their coverage.

    6. Re:Fake News by Maritz · · Score: 1

      Anytime I see one of you gimps come out with "extreme leftist" it's a dead giveaway that you're fucking thick.

      --
      I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
  15. The other 20% get their news from /. by jfdavis668 · · Score: 1

    Must be since you can't really read the /. stories on your phone.

  16. The reason i get news on my phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The reason i get news on my phone, because no matter how many times i disable notifications for the bundled crapware they seem to get turned back on, and part of the included crapware is a shitty news app

    1. Re:The reason i get news on my phone by DickBreath · · Score: 1

      I got a Nexus 6 P a long time ago. No bundled crapware. But Google still shoves news down my throat. Not that I mind so much. But I like to pick multiple news sources.

      --

      I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
    2. Re:The reason i get news on my phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      By no bundled crapware you must actually mean just googles bundled crapware, because that was actually the bundled crapware i was referring to

    3. Re:The reason i get news on my phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Surely you can disable whatever app Google is using to shove news down you throat?

      I never had such shit forced upon me when I had a Nexus 5, nor with any other Android phone I've used since.

  17. News consumption?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    We don't eat news, it isn't destroyed after we look at it.

    We watch news, we read news, we listen to news, but we don't CONSUME it.

    (yes, I'm pedantic)

    1. Re:News consumption?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Once you find out about an event, the news is no longer valuable anymore. You can't keep a tidbit of news and enjoy it again and again. Just like you don't put toothpaste back in the tube after you used it, you throw news away once it is no longer new.

  18. FAKE NEWS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But but fake news or some such bullshit

  19. 100% of current US presidents get their news... by squash_me_quickly · · Score: 1

    on Twitter, but I don't know if he uses a phone.

    If he does, then it's probably one like this official presidential phone

  20. what is news by avandesande · · Score: 1

    Is my NOAA weather app counted as news? Also there is some t-mobile news widget I don't know how to get rid of does that count too?

    --
    love is just extroverted narcissism
  21. Uhh uh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The dinosaurs are finally learning how to use smart phones?

    You mean facebook isnt enough for them? Ah, what a shame.

  22. Because its forced by spire3661 · · Score: 1

    You cant avoid the news on mobile, they force it front and center. I had no choice but to see google now cards about some shooting today. I NEVER EVER WANT TO SEE THIS SHIT ANYMORE. I just dont care if someone half a continent away got shot.

    --
    Good-bye
  23. I am the 20% by thinkwaitfast · · Score: 1

    AMA

  24. one gun slit to rule them all by epine · · Score: 1

    And no, that's a rhetorical question. There is no additional content in the article which would add anything remotely of value.

    I have trouble making sense of the news cycle making heavy use of all three monitors on my desk.

    I'm almost always Googling any significant name or place or context I'm not familiar with, and cross-referencing one article against another, or checking out whether a source is sane by seeking out other material associated with same.

    The medium is the message

    I guarantee you that my understanding of the news differs from yours, and my broad modality would not survive if I consumed news on a crappy little phone.

    I consume almost nothing on my phone unless I'm forced to by circumstance, because my standard of context is too large to fit the device. I'm also a guy who remembers 80x25 as an upgrade from a world of extreme pain. Once again I find myself at 40x25, but this time it's inches and I'm never going back.

  25. And of those 80%... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    probably about half are obese.

    1. Re:And of those 80%... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      only half(50%) ? that would mean statistically that adults who get their news by smartphone are skinnier than those who do not use a smartphone for news. This is because 68.8% of American adults are obese. Fortunately for you at least one American can do math and correct you.

  26. Not me... by MerlTurkin · · Score: 1

    I still use a flip phone. I don't need to be connected to the net every God(tm) damn second of the day. I have a life.

    1. Re:Not me... by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      Ahh. You must have thought this was a slashdot poll, couldn't find the vote button and posted instead.

  27. And it's terrible.... by Simulant · · Score: 1

    ...if you let your phone dictate what news you see..

    Google Now, for example, appears to treat everything on the internet as equally reliable and even if you allow it to "learn" based your phone use, you end up in a dystopian news bubble based on searches and clicks made for other reasons than the continuing and intense interest Google's AI seems to assume you have.

  28. Captain Obvious. by B1700 · · Score: 1

    Seems like half of Slashdot stories are posted by Captain Obvious. The other half are dupes.