Both the Android and Apple app stores have millions of apps in them, offering users a vast array of choices they can select from depending on their unique needs. Whilst this array of choice might suggest that there would be little in the way of pattern in the kind of apps we use, a new study suggests that this couldn’t be further from the truth.
“We wanted to study factors that govern usage of the mobile apps, particularly the role of geographic, demographic, and cultural values. We carried out a large-scale analysis of geographic, cultural, and demographic factors in mobile usage. We studied the data of 25,323 Android users who used 54,776 mobile applications in 44 countries across Europe, Americas, Asia and Oceania,” the researchers explain.
Location, location, location
Interestingly, despite the app stores operating globally, there were clear local patterns in the kind of apps people used. Perhaps unsurprisingly, English speaking countries, including Australia, Canada and the USA, had the highest overall app usage, as most apps are developed in English, or at least have an English language version.
This compares to lower usage in continental Europe, who are in turn higher than so called ‘mixed countries’, which include Argentina, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, India and Pakistan.
What’s more, our location also appears to influence the kind of apps we use. The research leans on Geert Hofstede’s cultural value survey, which provided five factors that influence a culture. For instance, it emerged that ‘masculine’ cultures, such as Japan, seem to prefer personalization apps, whereas ‘collectivist’ cultures, such as Russia, prefer family related apps. By contrast, ‘individualist’ cultures, such as the United States, lean more towards entertainment and leisure related apps.
Looking behind the curtain
So why is this? The researchers suggest that our country isn’t the sole determinant of the kind of apps we use, as there are clear socio-economic factors at play too. Factors such as our occupation, level of education and disposable income are all factors in our app usage.
Indeed, people of broadly similar socio-economic status appear to use their phones in a broadly similar way regardless of their location. This is especially so for people with a similar household status and for professionals with at least a bachelors degree.
“The results of our work show that there is a strong relationship between the type of apps people use and their geographic and socio-economic factors, suggesting that these different factors should be taken into account when studying mobile data. In addition, our results can be used to better target mobile apps in different countries, and for personalization,” the authors conclude.
