Over 25% Of Americans Use Location-Based Services

Sites include Facebook.com , Foursquare.com . Published on November 16th, 2011. Written by Anthony West.

The Web 2.0 transformation seems to be reaching critical mass and evidence of this can be seen in the take-up of location based services—especially in the US. Today people don’t refer to their yellow pages anymore when seeking a restaurant; they check in, and use their mobile apps to determine where to eat; where to shop and even where to sleep.

According to a study recently conducted by the Pew Research Center, over a quarter (25%) of American Adults are using mobile and social location-based services (LBS). But the research along with the accompanying pairs of infographics also tell some startling tales of usage, particularly as it relates to demographics of the geosocial users involved in the study. It seems that smartphone users are a key driver for the growth in usage of LBS services, and a whopping 58% of these people account for the check-ins and mobile queries made about location.

But what was interesting is the spread among networks for LBS usage. Although Facebook isn’t strictly a LBS service, it topped the scale at over 800 million users. In other words, Facebook is being used much like the intent behind its smaller rival, Foursquare. In terms of core service, Foursquare is a LBS service through and through, but it only clocked in with 10 million users. Nonetheless, the study shows one thing very clearly: mobile browsing and mobile engagement is on the rise, and only the companies that stand ready to seize the opportunity will profit.

Do you use location based services like Foursquare? Share your experience with us below.