Mobile devices open the door to young readers

Abstract

By the 1970s, there was already concern about the declining numbers of readers in the younger demographic category. The trend has continued since then, with recent research showing the decline has spread to television as well. However, a new way of publishing is offering the news media industry a second chance to reach the young market: on mobile devices. Indeed, the mobile market is exploding: data from comScore show the number of US adults accessing newspapers’ digital content grew from 135 million unduplicated adult visitors in April 2013 to 161 million in March 2014, with a 146 per cent jump in 18 to 24-year-olds who accessed the content by mobile device alone. Further, data show 78 per cent of US adults online in March 2014 accessed newspaper digital content, including 71 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds. This paper considers developments in the field, gives examples of approaches being taken, and suggests a few steps that could be taken in the area of providing information via mobile devices.