Social networking mobile app usage explodes by 240%

There are nearly two-and-a-half times as many people using mobile Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace apps than there were last year, confirming it as the dominatingly largest growth area for the industry.

According to the latest numbers from mobile analytic research firm Comscore, the number of people using a social networking app on their phone grew tremendously in April compared to the same time last year. 14.5 million users, to be exact, compared to only around 6 million in April 2009.

Viewership on mobile versions of social networking Web sites was also up, almost double last year’s numbers to reach 30 million visitors.

News apps also had strong growth, increasing usage by 124%, and mobile banking apps had double the number of users this April compared to last year.

In totality, mobile app usage grew 28% year-over-year, and mobile browser activity increased 31%. It’s too bad that some mobile providers *coughAT&Tcough* are trying to stifle this kind of growth.