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
Forbes tests a creator-led audience play to grow off-platform reach
June 23, 2026
Forbes is yet another publisher tapping creators and their audiences to drive off-platform growth – with a slightly different structure.
How Lipton Ice Tea is using local creators instead of building in-house social teams
June 22, 2026
Lipton worked with Billion Dollar Boy to activate local creators across six different markets; a new approach to global marketing
How a German publisher JV is turning LLM visibility into a premium brand buy
June 18, 2026
Germany’s BCN, the joint-venture commercial arm of three major publishing houses – Hubert Burda Media, Funke and Klambt – is rolling out a commercial product that helps brands get properly surfaced and described inside ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI assistants, not just on traditional search results pages.