Most Americans now own smartphones.
According to a recent Pew Research Center study, smartphone ownership is especially high among adults in their 20s and 30s and those with relatively high education and household income levels.
According to the study, 56 percent of all American adults now own a smartphone.
Gainesville smartphone technician Ben Steele said he attributes the rising smartphone ownership to the fact that they’re becoming a necessity to daily life.
“The amount of information people need on a daily basis is massive,” Steele said.
Tan Wong, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at UF whose main research interest areas include wireless communication and networks, said varying demographic groups use their devices differently.
Wong said the rise in ownership may be because smartphones have become relatively inexpensive — not to mention their convenience and utility.
Kristin Hawkins, a 20-year-old UF health science junior, said she doesn’t know how she would survive without a smartphone.
“It’s my everything,” she said. “Without one, I think a person is limited.”
