Information Needs of Chinese Mobile Internet Users: A User Study

摘要

This paper investigates the information needs of Chinese mobile Internet users in their fast-paced environment. The mobile Internet users grown up in such an environment would have different interests, ways of using, and information needs. In order to obtain a better understanding on Chinese mobile Internet user behavior, a web survey was conducted in Xi'an, China, followed by the previous ethnographical study. With the pervasiveness of smart-phones, people from different age groups joined the mobile Internet market, and the results of this study illustrated the various user behaviors on the mobile Internet across different age groups of people. The study revealed that in the mobile Internet era, Chinese users are more concerned with information relating to the scope of safety and love/belonging needs, advancing towards the next level in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.