I bet I got your attention with that one. Right? Good because I meant it. Not in the annual "this is the year of mobile"-type of chant marketers often sing. Nope, I mean that this is the pivotal moment in history when advancements in mobile technology combined with dramatic, global demographic trends have reached a level of escalating change with the potential to very literally lift the conditions of millions of people.
If it sounds kinda of far fetched -- I don't blame you. But when you dig into this a bit, you will see how this is happening right now and far faster than you might imagine. This trend made itself startlingly apparent to me recently given my recent introduction to HUM News, a news service providing verifiable news from the developing world. When viewed through the dual filters of technology and demographics, we see that this potent convergence is shaping a new reality very quickly and very dramatically.
To understand this perspective better, let's examine three macro trends that are approaching a pivotal tipping point in terms of scope, scale and market adoption.
World demographics are getting younger all the time.
- Nearly half of the world's population (3-plus billion people) is under the age of 25 and over 85% of this group lives in developing countries (World Population Foundation, 2008)
- This huge population is quickly using a diversity of mobile emerging technology as a way to connect. Estimates are that globally, a majority of people in the 15- to 25-year segment have a mobile device of some sort.
Mobile technology is more affordable, powerful and accessible than ever before.
- By 2013, there will be 4.5 billion mobile users worldwide compared to a world population of about 7 billion. (Parks Associates)
- Within developing countries, 70% of the population is under the age of 25 and mobile devices and internet usage outpaces traditional content consumption by Western counterparts. (Population Media Foundation)
- In Africa, for example, mobile subscribers have increased from 10 million to over 200 million in just a few years.
- The total of mobile subscribers in emerging markets is more than twice the number of mobile phone users in developed economies.