Mapping mobile internet usage preferences of educated Urban youth in India

This study was carried out to map the internet usage preferences of the educated urban youth in India in relation to a number of parameters that included the types of devices used, types of websites accessed, types of content viewed, and the types of features used. The study focused on the urban educated youth because it is this segment of the population which is not only the driving force of the economy and the market but also the quickest to adopt innovation in technology. The study is significant in view of the changes in the form and content of information available over the Internet as a result of the changes in the Indian telecommunication industry ever since the advent of Internet. The study was based on a sample survey of 300 youth randomly chosen from among the population of 2500 students in Amity University, Gurgaon, Haryana, India. As it is an exploratory study, the data collected from the respondents on the basis of a questionnaire was analyzed with the help of descriptive statistical tools of percentages and averages. The study revealed that the internet usage preferences of educated urban youth in India are largely a function of the technological innovations. Depending on the forms of content supported by the new devices that are making their way into the market, the youth modifies its internet usage preferences. This means that online communicators, including those in the area of marketing communication and the media, need to modify their messages to suit the devices in vogue to reach out to the largest number of youth and web developers need to constantly evolve new software solutions to suit the technological innovations.