You may not know this, but there are over 1.85 million apps available on the App Store and 2.56 million on the Android Store. The sheer number of apps might lead you to believe that the market is saturated and that it would be hard for an app developer to get their product noticed and downloaded by users.
But according to Gravitee’s live worldwide app downloads, as seen at gravitee.io/app-downloads-around-the-world, we are seeing a dramatic increase in smartphone usage across the world and it would appear that the number of downloads will continue to grow further at a rapid rate – TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram have amassed more than 834,460,000, 680,517,000, and 580,453,000 worldwide downloads already!
Why are Apps so Important and Relied Upon in Society Today?
Apps are an integral part of our daily lives, whether we use them for entertainment or functional purposes, such as using maps when travelling across town or booking travel arrangements online while flying internationally.
Not only that, they’ve greatly affected the way we communicate with each other. New apps can be downloaded and shared with friends in a matter of minutes. In the mobile world, sharing is an integral part of people’s daily lives, where word-of-mouth marketing plays a crucial role for companies looking to expand their market share globally.
Apps have also helped people communicate in ways that were not possible before. Apps such as FaceTime Audio or WhatsApp make communication accessible to anyone with an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch to send messages, video calls, and much more.
We all know that playing mobile games provides an escape from daily life. It’s sometimes the only time we get to relax on our lunch break or meet up with friends after work. In fact, some types of games like Call of Duty Mobile make it possible for players worldwide to connect virtually in real-time when they play against each other! With over 2.5 billion mobile gamers in 2020, it’s no wonder that gaming is one of the biggest global industries out there.
However, with an abundance of apps available to download for free, some users need to be extremely careful and acknowledge the dangers of becoming too reliant on app technology to get them through the day because an overreliance on using social media apps could contribute to severe mental health issues.
It can become quite common for people to get disillusioned in this social media era where people want to strive to be the most popular person online by getting the most likes on their social media posts or the most retweets. If people post something online and they don’t get any instant responses, then this could cause someone to have their anxiety heightened because they might think they are not popular.
App downloads and generational behaviour
Different generations think about apps in different ways. For example, the younger generations tend to download and use more apps than other groups but at the same time typically engage with them less over time as they get older.
Some of the most popular app categories among millennials are music streaming services, social media applications, online shopping portals, and dating sites for meeting new people/hooking up!
On the other hand, Generation X and baby boomers would rather shop for products in-store and prefer to use websites with detailed product descriptions rather than read about them on an app.
Conclusion
Apps have transformed our world drastically over the last decade, gaining unprecedented popularity among users all around the globe! Apps genuinely change how we live by the day. They change how we connect with friends using social media apps like Facebook or WhatsApp, playing games online against people from different parts of the world, or even meeting our soulmates through dating sites such as Tinder.
While some think that mobile devices can distract and hamper productivity at work or school, many agree that they offer endless overall benefits. It may be for keeping up with current affairs happening in different corners of the earth right away or getting access to entertainment.
