Social media access vital to young adult phone buys

Eighteen percent of young adults ages 18 to 34 say that social media access was the most decisive factor in their handset purchase, according to a new Harris Interactive study commissioned by Sprint Nextel. The study reports that 25 percent of young adults owning handsets with mobile social networking capabilities access their social media profiles constantly/often, compared to just 1 percent of consumers ages 55 and older. A quarter of users between the ages of 35 and 44 also check their social media profiles frequently, some every day.

Despite the growing importance of social media, Harris Interactive reports that 45 percent of young adults say contacts/calendar management is the most important feature in determining a phone purchase, with 31 percent citing Internet browsing. More traditional concerns also play a factor, as 88 percent of young adults cite the price of a phone's data plan as a contributing factor in their handset purchase.

For more on the Harris Interactive survey:
- read this release

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