Pew Research Center released updates to augment their technology use reports, including the Internet/Broadband Fact Sheet and Mobile Fact Sheet. A May 7th blog post titled Digital divide persists even as lower-income Americans make gains in tech adoption shares the following charts.
As reflected in the chart above, “the share of lower-income Americans who rely on their smartphone for going online has roughly doubled since 2013.” While this information helps to promote the notion that mobile learning is the answer to adult basic skills education, the Pew data suggest only 71% of those making under $30,000 have a smartphone.
Also, as noted in the blog post,
This reliance on smartphones also means that the less affluent are more likely to use them for tasks traditionally reserved for larger screens. For example, lower-income smartphone owners were especially likely to use their mobile device when seeking out and applying for jobs …
Clearly, we need to meet learners where they are. However, we also need to understand the implications.