Mobile phone use continues to change dramatically with the proliferation of smartphones. Everyone’s favorite pastime, social networking, is a huge beneficiary. TNS has the results of a consumer survey showing just how much mobile social networking has grown. According to the report, 19 percent of users now use their phones to access social networks, putting it nearly on par with downloading apps and playing games.
That’s a big shift in just a year, as TNS tracked 12 percent of users turning to their phones for social networking a year ago. Other big gainers TNS found: video, blogging, apps and banking. These all trail the more widespread phone activities that are stagnating, such as ringtone and graphics downloads. See the full study here.

More in Media
People Inc. CEO: We’re not turning off Google crawlers yet
August 4, 2026
People Inc. won’t cut off Google’s AI crawlers yet, citing its continued dependence on Google search traffic even as referrals decline.
WTF is a stealth crawler?
August 4, 2026
As AI bot traffic surges, lawmakers are cracking down on stealth crawlers, which scrape publisher content while masking who they are.
As Hollywood studios chase creator culture, ownership gets complicated
August 4, 2026
Copyright claims and IP ownership fights show just how complicated Hollywood’s creator courtship could get.