Brazil, Russia More Socially Connected through Mobile than US

A recent study by mobile interaction company tyntec, sponsored by YouGov, has determined that people from countries with emerging markets tend to be the most attached to their mobile phones. The study found that Brazilians in particular were more likely to send text messages and check their Facebook account from their phone than participants from the United States and United Kingdom.

The results of this study may come as a surprise to many, since smartphones have been widespread in the U.S. and U.K. for longer than they have in countries with emerging markets, but perhaps it’s because of that newness that people from countries like Brazil and Russia use their phones so much in order to remain socially connected.


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According to the study, 77 percent of Brazilians aged 18 to 55 use social networks through their cell phone, compared to 69 percent of Russians and 53 percent of Americans. Additionally, 12 percent of Russians send over 30 texts per day, which was higher than the numbers coming from all three of the other surveyed countries.

The heavy reliance on cell phones as a way to stay social could lead to business opportunities for companies interested in marketing their services to countries like Russia and Brazil. This is especially true considering that people in these countries are also much more likely to consider using smaller, more local apps for services like cheap messaging and voice over IP. For example, about half of the Russians surveyed prefer using local messaging services like VK and Mail.ru over services like Skype or Facebook messaging.