A recent study by Ball State University<\/strong> has shown that students are getting more and more used to the idea of receiving ads on their mobile phone. This is the first time that a study has been conducted by a university on its own students. <\/p>\nThe study found that, during 2005-07, 56.3 % of students at Ball State would accept ads if they got something free in exchange. Of theses, 37.5 % said they would be willing to accept an ad if they got a free ring tone in return, 21.4 % preferred the idea of a discount or coupon to a restaurant, cinema or supermarket, while 20 % wanted free minutes, upgrades or access to internet and music.<\/p>\n
The university study also found that 36.7 % of its students had received a text message ad in 2007, up 13 % on 2005 and that their students are less worried about how a business obtained their phone number than previously. The percentage of students who were said to be “very concerned” dropped by 25 percent while “concerned a little” fell by 33 percent.<\/p>\n
The study also reported on student\u2019s use of mobile phones, finding that:<\/p>\n
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- The number of college students with cell phones with video cameras increased by 33 percent <\/li>\n
- Forty percent of respondents sent photos via cell phone or e-mail in 2007, up by 10 percent <\/li>\n
- Ten percent sent videos to another cell phone or e-mail addresses in 2007, up 7 percent <\/li>\n
- Fifty percent said they had downloaded a ring tone in 2007, up from 8.5 percent <\/li>\n
- Twenty percent have downloaded wallpapers or screensavers, an increase of 18.1 percent<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n