Smartphones started to become popular in 2007, with the advent of the first iPhone.
Since then, smartphone sales have increased exponentially. Between 2011-2013, there was an increase of over 50 percent in smartphone sales worldwide.
In the United States, 64 percent of adults are reported to now own a smartphone. Compared with 2011, this number has almost doubled.
The smartphone market is divided between Android devices and iPhones, with the latest numbers indicating Android devices dominate the market share with 87.6 percent, and iPhone devices rank second, with 11.7 percent.
Although Android and iPhone devices are functionally very similarly, their marketing campaigns are very different.
New psychological research aims to uncover some of the personality differences between iPhone and Android users.
Key personality differences among smartphone users
The study was a collaborative effort between the University of Lincoln, Lancaster University, and the University of Hertfordshire, all in the United Kingdom.
The study asked 500 participants to answer a set of questions about themselves and their attitude toward their smartphone.
The comparison showed that iPhone users are more than twice as likely to be female.
Additionally, iPhone users are more concerned about viewing their iPhone as a status object than their Android counterparts, and increasingly so. However, they are less concerned with owning devices that are preferred by most people.
The study noted key differences in personality, with iPhone users showing lower levels of honesty and humility, and higher levels of emotionality.
iPhone users were also more extroverted than Android users.
In contrast, Android users were more likely to be male, older, and less interested in wealth and social status. Among key personality differences to iPhone users, those with Android devices displayed more honesty and agreeability.
They were also less likely to break rules for personal gain.
The findings have been published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behaviour, and Social Networking.
Computer program predicts smartphone choice
Based on the findings, researchers were able to design and test a computer program aimed at predicting the type of smartphone users owned.
When tested, the computer model predicted smartphone ownership at above chance levels.
“In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that an individual’s choice of smartphone operating system can provide useful clues when it comes to predicting their personality and other individual characteristics.”
Co-lead author Dr. David Ellis, Lancaster University
Heather Shaw, co-lead author of the study, adds: “It is becoming more and more apparent that smartphones are becoming a mini digital version of the user, and many of us don’t like it when other people attempt to use our phones because it can reveal so much about us.”
MNT DT
