Your Story Begins

Observe, Compare, Analyze, Communicate

According to the Pew Research Center “Mobile Technology Fact Sheet,” as of June 2019, 96% of Americans own a cell phone. This is a 6% increase from the same poll reported January 2014. As of January 2019, 84% of the cell phones are smartphones. This is an increase from 64% in 2014 and 34% in 2011. The increase in smartphone ownership since 2011 is 35% (See chart at the Pew Research Fact Sheet.)

Pew Research Center 2015 surveys revealed 19% of Americans rely on smartphones for Internet access and that 7% of Americans are smartphone addicted. With many apps available, 15% of Americans ages 18-29 are heavily dependent on a smartphone for online access. Smartphone dependency peaked to 20% in 1018 before declining to 17% in 2019.

The global demand for smartphone technologies continues to grow, creating greater demand for raw materials needed to manufacture new smartphones and an increasing volume of obsolete mobile phones for disposal. Beyond the purchase price and wireless service plan cost, there are hidden costs of smartphones that include the social, environmental, and economic impacts of raw materials mining, smartphone manufacturing, and smartphone disposal.

The photo shows examples of ever-changing mobile technology. Have current smartphone technologies reached the limit of growth? What might the next generation of mobile technology be?
Click the preview to access the full fact sheet and dynamic charts.

Start your exploration journal by writing an informative paragraph using your observations and answers to your map analysis questions. Then extend your observations to communicate the status of Smartphones owned by you and your peers.

  • View the Pew Research fact sheet and describe trends.
  • Analyze the Pew Research maps.
  • Collect data using the interactive map of global mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people.
  • Use your observations and analysis to write an original informative paragraph that will be used as an introduction for your final project presentation. Consider how your introduction could answer who, what, where, when, how, and why questions.