No doubt the world as we know it has changed since the start of COVID-19. From working and schooling at home to discovering different ways to connect with family and friends, mobile trends have followed the unique movements of the pandemic.
A New York Times analysis of internet usage during the pandemic in the United States shows that our behaviors changed in one particularly interesting way. Our usage on Facebook, Netflix, and YouTube increased dramatically – but not on mobile. Americans have been spending much more time on larger devices such as laptops, desktops, and tablets rather than on their smaller smartphones. This has caused entertainment and social media companies to reevaluate the user experience and shift their focus to desktop instead of mobile, which is out of the ordinary from the past 5 or so years as we’ve seen the smartphone become the all-in-one device for the majority of the population.
Another interesting trend to flourish during the pandemic was connection via video apps and services. Previously most communication between family, friends, and even coworkers was done through text if not on social media messaging. Since people aren’t able to see each other as often as they would like, they’ve turned to video chat apps such as Google Duo, Nextdoor.com, and Houseparty.
And another trend that we’re certainly all familiar with – applications that allows us to work and learn from home. The rise of the video conferencing platform Zoom alone was enough to get competitors racing to offer a better, more secure solution. Chances are you’re now very familiar with Zoom, Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Hangouts, or another platform meant to connect coworkers or students. A challenging qualification for these applications and platforms is that they need to be easy to use, grade school aged children need to be able to use every day, while remaining useful and practical for those working from home. Above all, security and privacy remain of large concern.
Although social media and entertainment might be slowing down on mobile devices, we’ve seen the workforce trend upwards in its use of mobile devices as business devices. Many workers in the United States have a desk phone that they use while at the office and occasionally use their smartphone for communication on the go in a working environment. Now workplaces have had to shift to employees smartphones becoming their desk phones, which can be a tricky practice. Our office uses a hosted solution with a connected app on our smartphones which allows our clients to continue contacting us as normal.
Some new trends we may see as the pandemic continues:
1. Will companies permanently shift focus to desktop sites rather than mobile?
2. Will screens on smartphones grow at a quicker than expected rate to make up for the increased use of laptops and tablets?
3. Will we see even better cameras emerge on all devices to keep up with video interaction demand?
4. Will we see an all-in-one dashboard for working parents to interact with their coworkers and monitor their children’s progress in school?
5. Will we see better solutions to mobile workplace phone connections?
Although we can’t be certain on what the future will bring, we do know that people and businesses will continue to rely on cellular, internet, and telecom services. Verify! continues to offer efficiency and cost-saving solutions to businesses across the United States no matter what trends ebb and flow throughout time. We keep up with carriers, industry news, and trends so your business stays up and running at the best price. Call Verify! today to speak to an expert and get started on a risk-free analysis. And as always, no savings means no invoice. Guaranteed.
