Mobile Internet Use in Armenia

The final (!) session of AoIR 2015 is on the mobile Internet, and starts with Katy Pearce. Her interest is in the experiences of mobile-only Internet users: a phenomenon which is especially prevalent in developing countries. Here, resource constraints make it more likely that users will buy multi-purpose devices such as feature phones or smartphones with direct network access rather than desktop, laptop, or tablet devices that require a wifi connection.

The devices people use impact on their usage patterns, of course. But other factors, such as age, educational and sociodemographic status, also impact on such patterns. In Armenia, 16% of Internet users are mobile-only users, and many others tethered their other devices to the Net using mobile devices. Computer-only users are usually better educated and have better English skills, while non-users tend to be older and mobile-only users tend to be in rural location.

There are also major usage differences – computer users tend to use them for work; mobile users for news and social networking. This means a substantial Internet activity device gap remains; access is not enough. Demographic and device differences continue to matter.