More than half of Americans embracing mobile data

Americans are adopting new technologies, entertainment platforms and user-generated content with growing fervor, according to a new Deloitte & Touche study “State of the Media Democracy.” According to Deloitte & Touche, millennials (consumers ages 13 to 24) lead the new media charge, with 46 percent embracing their mobile handsets as entertainment devices–84 percent of millennials send and receive text messages, compared to 57 percent of the total consumer population. In addition, 56 percent of all consumers snap photos with their phones, including 37 percent of matures (users 61 to 75). 60 percent of trailing millennials (consumers ages 13 to 18) rely on someone else to pay for their mobile service, and 25 percent of leading millennials (young people 19 to 24) are still depending on financial support as well.

Deloitte & Touche also notes that demand for user-generated content is surging across demographic lines–51 percent of all consumers now consume UGC, led by 71 percent of millennials. 55 percent of millennials and 42 percent of Generation X-ers (ages 25 to 41) read blogs, with 62 percent of the former and 41 percent of the latter tuning in to YouTube and related video sites. Forty percent of all consumers now create their own entertainment, including movies, music and photos–millennials dominate the discussion at 56 percent, but 25 percent of matures are now creating UGC.

Source: Deloitte Report (PDF)