College students are getting smart when it comes to the use of techonolgy in their cell phones. A study conducted by associate professor of journalism Micheal Hanley showed the number of students who had purchased a smartphone doubled in the last two years.
The study was made by conducting 11 surveys every six months since 2005 that included 5,500 Ball State University students. The percentage of students with a smartphone rose from 27 percent in February 2009 to 49 percent this year.
"The use of smartphones by college students has nearly doubled in one year, and along with it comes heavier internet use and an increased desire to use mobile commerce like coupons and incentives," Hanley said in a statement. "In nearly all mobile content categories, smart phone ownership is driving increased consumption and usage of mobile technologies."
The study also shows:
— The use of cell phones is almost universal on campus, with 99.8 percent of students having a cell phone.
— Almost nine in 10 students with smartphones access the internet from the device, versus less than half with a feature phone.
— Text messaging has overtaken e-mail and instant messaging (IM) as the main form of communication, with 97 percent of students sending/receiving text messages as compared to 30 percent for e-mail and 25 percent with IM.
— Cell phone camera usage has soared, with 97 percent of smart phone owners taking and sending photographs while 87 percent take and send video.
Hanley said the fact that the number of smart phone users doubles in a year, but that comparing the growth of users among college students with the growth among adults.
"They have become the early adopters of mobile technology," he said. "This is very positive, smart phones are having more educational uses. More benefits are showing up for students."
Among Ball State students, views of the uses of smartphones are varied. For graduate student Jessica Metcalf, having a smartphone is not a need but something that consumers look forward to.
Matcalf said she got her iPhone a year ago and has been satisfied with its convenience.
"I liked to think I had everything in one phone," she said. "I can do calls, texts, e-mails and check my Facebook while I'm out, it's just really convenient."
However, for graduate student Corey Feldpausch, smartphones can have good features and be distracting.
"The fact that they have internet is very helpful but can be really distracting," he said, "A girl I was working in an assistanship told me she and the rest of the students were asked in her 8 a.m. class whether they had already updated their Facebook status, and more than three quarters raised their hands."
Feldpausch said while some might find smartphones beneficial, many use their phones as a form of entertainment.
"I have a friend that has a Droid, and he has this application that has pickup lines," he said. "I think most people use their phones for entertainment."
Hanley said while the general conception of smartphones is that they are designed for entertainment, more and more students are using their phones for educational purposes.
"[Smartphones] and other technologies will keep evolving, with better applications for both educational and entertaining purposes," he said. "The iPad and similar devices may change the way they communicate yet again as the technology evolves."
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