Apps now account for half of all mobile use

App use has surpassed the mid-way mark

According to comScore, mobile apps accounted for over half (51 percent) of all digital media time spent in May, and mobile devices combined to account for 60 percent of all digital media time spent, up 50 percent from a year ago.

This shift away from desktop to mobile is extremely relevant to brands, particularly small brands that are seeking a competitive advantage, but are unsure as to their next investment, be it mobile or otherwise.

When making these investment decisions, it is of note that some categories have shifted exclusively to mobile. Digital radio (led by Pandora) and photo tools (led by Instagram and Flickr) now attract over 96 percent of its engagement from mobile devices.

Other categories getting at least 90 percent of their engagement from mobile include Maps (Google Maps, Apple Maps) and Instant Messengers (led by Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber, and others).

With mobile engagement on the rise, comScore notes that although social media does not rank at the top of the list of the “most mobile-skewing content categories,” they assert that it is the most important, as it does rank as number one in terms of overall digital engagement, taking up 20 percent of the total time we spend on our mobile devices, generating 70 percent of its activity on mobile.

“When considering the category’s contribution to total digital ad spending,” comScore notes, “its rapid shift to mobile marks an important sign of the times for the internet economy.”

The last year or two has seen the most change

As total mobile engagement rose 55 percent in the past year, with social networking on mobile accounting for 31 percent of that growth. Facebook leads the social media pack, accounting for 24 percent of all mobile time spent, with the primary Facebook accounting for 18 percent all on its own.

In a statement, comScore said, “It’s clear that mobile usage is a tidal wave that’s completely transformed the way we consume digital content, particularly in just the past year or two. And we know that as eyeballs move to mobile, ad dollars will eventually have to follow suit.”