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Smartphone adoption has grown from 35% in 2011 to 46% in 2012, bringing with it more access to location-based apps and services. The amount of consumers who “check in” to certain places via geo-social services has reached 18%, up from 12% in 2011.

“It has been fascinating to watch how people’s physical location has reentered the picture in their communications patterns,” Pew Internet Research Specialist and report author Kathryn Zickuhr told Mashable.

“For a long time in our research, we’ve seen that location didn’t matter to consumer’s Internet use or cellphone use. But the rise of location services and awareness has become a new part of people’s use of these digital technologies. The importance of where people are is reemerging as an element of their identity and their social interactions,” Zickuhr added.

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