On Mobiles, U.S. Likes to Surf Social Sites

Stacey Higginbotham, Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 6:47 AM PT Comments (8)

Mobile browsing has clearly moved beyond 9-to-5 users and made inroads among the happy hour set. A recent survey by Opera showed about 40 percent (and about 60 percent in the United States, South Africa and Indonesia) of Opera Mini users visit social networking sites when surfing on a mobile. For those unfamiliar with the Opera Mini browser, it allows a user to see an entire web page and zoom in on desired content as long as they have Java on the phone.

The survey also shows which top 10 sites surfers visited in each country. The U.S. list begins with MySpace and ends with eBay. In between socializing and shopping is more socializing through Hi5 and Facebook, as well as search via Google, Microsoft Live and Yahoo. It looks like even if we aren’t using our phones for talking, we’re still using them to connect — and to settle bar bets. Wikipedia is the No. 8 slot in the United States. As the chart below shows, if users have an easy way to access the web on their mobiles they will. Carriers and device makers take note!

Amount of Data Consumed in MB by Opera Mini Users

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8 comments so far

May 20th, 2008
10:02 AM PT
djacobs said:

That’s because people need their quick fix when they’re on the go. I’m guilty of this habit as well.

May 20th, 2008
1:23 PM PT
Ben said:

I agree… I have to check my eBay all the time, and I’m sure people that user the social networking as much as I use my eBay have the same guilty pleasure!

May 21st, 2008
12:49 AM PT
May 22nd, 2008
11:48 AM PT
jim said:

data is definitely interesting and even more so is that mocospace is in top 3 for the US

May 22nd, 2008
1:52 PM PT
tony dee said:

Keeping track of all your networking contacts via social networks whether for business or personal use ids a hot commodity these days. I keep abreast of my friends through Friendfeed.

June 2nd, 2008
4:09 PM PT

[...] this (surprisingly from R/WW) piece from Sarah Parez about how fast the mobile web is growing (and here from [...]

June 3rd, 2008
2:31 PM PT

[...] Higginbotham, Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 2:30 PM PT Comments (0) For those of you helping make eBay on of the most frequently visited web sites on mobile phones, the news that retailers need to pay attention to mobile shopping should come as no surprise. I [...]

June 21st, 2008
5:02 AM PT

Technology is going upper and upper. hence, is it possible to create an E-mail with my mobile?

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