Young Australians' perceptions of mobile phone content and information services:an analysis of the motivations behind usage

Purpose – This paper aims to understand the motivational factors that influence the purchase of mobile phone content among young Australians. Design/methodology/approach – An interpretive qualitative analysis of focus group data is used to explore the topic. Focus group participants were strategically selected from a larger sample to be representative on a broad range of demographic variables. Findings – There is considerable negativity associated with spending money on mobile content owing to the following factors: The mobile phone is perceived primarily as a communication tool. Money spent on the mobile phone for uses not related to communication is often perceived as wasted. The mobile phone is seen as an inferior channel for entertainment and information when compared to television, magazines, and the internet. Consumers are wary of deceptive advertising practices for mobile content. Many consumers are able to access “free” content. Research limitations/implications – Future research should focus on comparisons to consumers in other countries and on the relative pervasiveness of the factors identified in this study in the general population. Practical implications – Considerable negativity towards spending money on content suggests problems with revenue models relying on direct sales of content. However, “free” content is often perceived very positively. Advertiser‐sponsored models and branded “value add” models may prove to be effective ways of leveraging this positive sentiment. Originality/value – The paper provides a unique examination of the link between perceptions of mobile content and the perceived role of the mobile phone in everyday life, and draws important conclusions regarding the implementation of successful revenue models. The conclusions reached are likely to be of interest to mobile application developers, content aggregators, content owners, and mobile telecommunication companies.