What's your usual view when you get on a metro, bus, or even see family members at a dining table in a restaurant? You’ll likely find most of them with their heads down, engrossed in their smartphones. While critics blame the government for recent economic slowdowns, and India's growth is set to hit a four-year low due to weaker consumer spending, smartphone users show no signs of slowing down—helping social media influencers and businesses make more money.In a country witnessing rapid Internet adoption, with smartphones available on offers almost every day and e-commerce companies rolling out new sale seasons every month, new data shows that Indians have spent over a trillion hours glued to their smartphones—while social media and OTT platforms cash in. India is a goldmine for driving Internet data sales, as citizens of the world's most populous country stay hooked to their screens, from watching viral videos and Oscar winners to booking international trips.Indians spend 1.1 lakh crores staring at smartphonesIndians collectively spent 1.1 lakh crore hours staring at their smartphones in 2024, according to management consultant EY, as cheap internet makes platforms from Instagram to Netflix more accessible to the world’s most populous nation. On average, they spent five hours daily on the mobile screen, nearly 70% of it devoted to social media platforms, gaming, and videos, EY said in its annual entertainment report published Thursday.This has made digital channels the single largest segment of India’s 2.5 lakh crore rupees ($29.1 billion) media and entertainment industry in 2024, overtaking television for the first time.While the daily time spent by Indians on their mobile phones is third behind Indonesia and Brazil, the combined hours add up to the largest market globally that firms from Meta and Amazon to tycoons like Mukesh Ambani and Elon Musk are tussling for.India reaches digital inflection pointThe country has reached the digital inflection point, Ashish Pherwani, EY India's media and entertainment sector leader, wrote in the report. He added that the industry would see consolidation, new business models, and partnerships in the coming days.Kevin Vaz, CEO - Entertainment at JioStar, said on Thursday that digital platforms are continuing to soar, offering exciting opportunities for content creators and consumers alike.JioHotstar, the streaming platform owned by Mukesh Ambani's JioStar, has gained over 100 million paid subscribers in less than two months since its launch on February 14. This rapid growth comes after the merger of Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema. The subscriber base includes both direct sign-ups and users from telecom bundle deals. At launch, JioHotstar had 50 million paid subscribers, along with 500 million total users.Indians help content creators & politicians winWhile Indians stay busy on smartphones lakhs of content creators have hit the bank cerating short videos or vlogs that range from them brushing their teeth to takening adventurous trips in African jungle. Easier and cheaper internet access has been driving India's creator economy, with millions, especially young people, producing content on social media. The country has even launched a $1 billion fund to support the growing creator economy.India’s content creators and social media influencers are turning into a massive industry, playing a key role in corporate marketing strategies. Meanwhile, as Indians stay glued to their smartphones, e-commerce sellers flood their screens with ads and irresistible offers, tempting them to buy things they might not have needed or even considered getting from a physical store. It’s not just online retailers benefiting from this addiction—big businesses, film producers, and even political parties are cashing in, spending crores on social media ad campaigns to capture attention and influence opinions.India's addiction ups data consumptionIndia has emerged as the global leader in mobile data consumption per user, the Economic Survey had said. It also offers the cheapest data rates, thanks to the price war that Mukesh Ambani unleashed almost a decade back to make Indians enjoy data at dirt-cheap rates while telecom rivals such as Airtel and Vodafone Idea bled financially.The survey estimated that the country’s average monthly wireless data usage per user stood at 21.2 GB as of September in the 2024-25 financial year. It also highlighted India’s record-breaking 5G rollout, calling it the fastest in the world—a sign of the country’s growing strength in the telecom sector.India’s appetite for 5G data is soaring, with average monthly consumption per user reaching 40 GB, telecom equipment maker Nokia said in a recent report. The company’s annual Mobile Broadband Index (MBiT) report predicts that the country’s total 5G subscriber base will expand 2.65 times over the next three years, hitting around 770 million.The demand for mobile data has been climbing steadily, with consumption across networks like 4G and 5G growing at an annual rate of 19.5% over the past five years, pushing average usage to 27.5 GB per month in 2024. The report also flagged a dramatic surge in 5G traffic, which tripled year-on-year in 2024, reflecting the rapid adoption of next-generation connectivity across the country.Nearly 40% of India’s population, or 562 million people, now use smartphones—more than the combined population of the US and Mexico. However, traditional media, including television, print, and radio, saw their revenues and market share decline last year, the EY report said.Meanwhile, live events such as concerts and cricket tournaments played a big role in driving the industry’s growth. The report estimates that India’s media and entertainment sector will reach 3.1 trillion rupees by 2027.The Make-in-India catalystIDC had last year noted India ships around 145-150 million new smartphones every year for its domestic market, making it the second-largest in the world after China. The country has around 650 million smartphone users, with a penetration rate of about 46%. No other market of this size has such vast untapped potential, making India a key target for smartphone brands, component manufacturers, and other players in the industry.India's population also give it a strong advantage as a market for technology products. The younger generation, which drives demand for electronics, is a key factor in this growth. As a result, India’s electronics industry is expanding rapidly, backed by government initiatives aimed at making the country a global leader in the sector.With more people in India using smartphones and the Narendra Modi government offering thousand of crores of rupees worth of incentives for local manufacturing, global brands like Apple, Vivo, and Xiaomi are keen to expand production in the country. India is not just a key market but also a growing hub for exports, with iPhones now being shipped worldwide from Indian factories.In 2014-15, India produced only 25% of the mobile phones needed for its own market. But over the past decade, local manufacturing has expanded significantly, reaching Rs 4.1 lakh crore ($49.27 billion) in FY24, up from just $3 billion in FY15, according to India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), a Trust established by the commerce ministry. As a result, India now meets 97% of its own mobile phone demand through domestic production.India’s digital story is still unfolding. The question is, as we scroll endlessly through our screens, are we fully aware of how much our digital habits are shaping not just entertainment and business, but also our daily lives?