On Wednesday, entertainment giant MTV published the results from its “Love ‘Em or Leave ‘Em: Adoption, Abandonment and the App-Addled Consumer” study.
The research simply confirms that which we already suspected with regard to mobile app usage. Millions of Americans are essentially “addicted” to certain mobile applications.
A staggering 83% of daily mobile app users surveyed by MTV admit to being “addicted” to their apps. The research, which was aimed at studying the life cycle of apps, from how they’re found to why they’re ultimately cherished or deleted, prompted one participant to concede that some apps “are like Xanax in a phone.”
Drawing on a quantitative survey of more than 1,300 self-reported daily mobile app users, as well as qualitative, in-depth interviews with dedicated app consumers, MTVN found that apps are changing the lives of users by acting as a digital extension of their physical selves. Apps provide more pleasure, more free time and more new worlds to discover.
69% of men revealed that they would rather give up their favorite news source for a year than their favorite apps for that duration. Another 68% said the same for coffee.
Apparently, women are on the same page as men. 68% of females surveyed said they would rather go a year without soda than their beloved apps.
Among the other interesting findings of the research:
- 91% said apps expose them to new things.
- 87% said apps let them have fun no matter where they are or what they’re doing.
- 77% said apps are their personal assistant.
- 75% said apps give them time to relax.
- 73% said apps allow time to connect and interact with family and friends.
- 70% said apps make the rest of life better.
“Our brands live and die on buzz,” said Colleen Fahey Rush, Executive Vice President and Chief Research Officer for MTV Networks. “But app discovery and adoption is just as driven by buzz as any other content that we create.”
