There is one thing about research and statistics. No matter how obvious the findings there is still that moment of relief that comes from some form of validation of even the most obvious conclusions. eMarketer has highlighted a study done by the Pew Research Center from May of this year that verifies what many would see as obvious. More Millennials value their mobile phones than those quite a bit older than them.

Of course, this comparison is between two extremes and it would be nice to know how the rest of the world between the ages of 30-64 viewed these things right?

The next chart seems a little more telling in that when you look at the population as a whole regarding the importance of a mobile device. It is high but it’s far from the top of the list.

What I would like to know is how these studies would look if there were an economic factor introduced. How many Millennials who value their phones are of a higher economic status v. those who may not have the ways and means to buy the phone and pay for the monthly service?

Will the mobile movement serve to further drive a wedge between the haves and the have-nots? I don’t see this as some great philosophical debate because there will always be this divide no matter how hard some push for everyone to be the same (do you REALLY want that anyway?). This is a simple economic question that marketers will need to attend to as we move rapidly into a more mobile age of the Internet.

Could it be that one the most important demographics regarding ability to buy a product in the future could be someone’s sheer ability to afford the mobile Internet experience? Sounds harsh but statistics can be that way.

So where does your mobile device fall in your pecking order of “can’t live withouts”? Would you survive if you just had a cell phone (you know, the kind that just allow for phone calls)? Is your mobile device your lifeline or a ball and chain?

Let us know. Oh and if you are brave enough to tell us your true age that would help but we don’t expect much on that front .

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