Youth Spend More Time on Web Than TV 285
ChopsMIDI writes "According to a survey of 2,618 people, aged 13 to 24, teenagers and young adults spend more time on the Internet than watching television, indicating a shift in media consumption for a demographic prized by advertisers. On average, young people said they spent nearly 17 hours online each week, not including time used to read and send electronic mail, compared with almost 14 hours spent watching television and 12 hours listening to the radio."
Heh, what a surprise (Score:5, Insightful)
Here (Spain) it seems that the producers of some shows are brain damaged. A while ago I turned on the TV to see if there was anything, saw a bit of some "Putin's daughter" crap, and went back to my computer.
What about when they do both? (Score:4, Insightful)
Ok let's see... (Score:5, Insightful)
Very good! (Score:0, Insightful)
It's the content, stupid (Score:5, Insightful)
For (1) substitute whatever interests you. News junkies, humor, multi-player gaming, music swapping, ad infinitum. It's available on demand 24x7. TV forces you to adhere to mostly least-common-denominator programming at the programmer's schedule, unless you fumble with a VCR, or you have a TIVO that your Dad hasn't monopolized. It's not surprising that the kids have gravitated to the Internet as the new entertainment medium, as have many adults.
Re:Ok let's see... (Score:1, Insightful)
I'd hazard a guess that listening to the radio while doing work or travelling accounts for much of the radio time.
Re:What about when they do both? (Score:2, Insightful)
I went the extra step and got rid of the TV all together and got a TV card for my computer. Much better that way... Although I did want a bit more desktop so I put on a second monitor, and I watch TV on that... Go figure...
But think about it, at tricked out computer:
DVD, mp3, cd, tv, internet, gaming machine, record modify movies, radio reciever, streaming video viewer, satalite controller, can hook a vcr to it, hell you can control your room lights with it if you wanted to, web server, file server, etc etc. How much would that cost if you wanted a seperate appliance for each thing? PC,s rock, Linux rocks, too. It makes it cheaper and you don't have to worry so much about security flaws like windows.
Re:Ok let's see... (Score:5, Insightful)
Does it really matter? (Score:5, Insightful)
OK. Yes, it does matter.
I don't watch TV either. At least, very little. Most days I watch none.
I like getting news in real time on the Internet and from various sources. I feel much more informed than my in-laws, who religiously sit in front of Dan Rather every night and think that he some how makes them more informed than I.
I do read local newspapers for more local flavor, though.
For entertainment, let's just say that the Internet offers, um, more provative content...
I even listen to radio over the Internet. I think my lifestyle will eventually demand a Tablet PC or something. But, I'll wait until they beef them up a bit on battery life and applications.
That said, I'm not sure how long all of this free content will last. Given my choice of browser, I don't view any ads. How long can the "system" support this leeching of content?
The final aspect to my online life is the social one. Email and IM makes life much easier as opposed to the unconnected world.
So, from an information, entertainment, and social point of view, the content of the online world has finally reached critical mass for me. It may take another 5 years for this to make some drastic change in TV, newspaper, etc. But, I think we have finally passed the inflection point.
Re:good! (Score:5, Insightful)
How is Slashdot any less interactive then any multiplaying system?
Consider the source (Score:2, Insightful)
Scary Stat. (Score:2, Insightful)
But what about ripping cds, downloading mp3s and movies, playing games, and doign schoolwork. This is all on the computer as well, so if you add that I'd assume that the number of hours spent on a computer would have to be at least 20-25. Its scary to think that so much time is spent in front of a computer monitor.. Add to that number the number of hours in front of the tv (14) and you have almost have a full workweek.
things are changing (Score:5, Insightful)
1. first, the music industry loses its ability to control the marketing of new music to people because the people themselves have control of the distribution technology (i.e. Napster, Kazaa )
2. then, the television industry loses its control of what people think because the internet allows people once again to control what they read, hear, and see.
It sounds to me like the whole media industry is losing its control over people and we can thank technology for doing this for us!
Re:good! (Score:5, Insightful)
Well this is the conventional wisdom, and I used to believe it. But having played Everquest off and on for a while, I'd have to say that a decent TV program is at least as stimulating and thought provoking is sitting in place, and occasionally pressing a button or two. And this isn't just true of EQ, many games may be "interactive" but they aren't requiring too many brain cells to fire.
Personally I put both sitting online and sitting in front of the tv in the same class. I'm glad that one displaces the other, but you'd still be better off getting up, getting outside, and moving around once in while.
Re:Heh, what a surprise (Score:4, Insightful)
About a year ago, I bought a new computer (a laptop) that I couldn't conveniently set a tuner card in. I kept the old computer around to be able to watch TV among other things, but I found that I never bothered to use it, as it was too much of a bother. Today the old machine is in my storage space in the basement and I haven't watched 'real' TV for almost a year.
If there is some show I really want to see, I can usually pluck them from the net, and watch at my convenience, rather than when the network deigns to show it. News and commentary I get better from online newspapers, blogs and through sites like this one. If I wanted to follow a reality show (yeah, right), most have their own websites with as much, if not more, juicy material than the episodes show. I really don't see what the TV medium really is able to offer that the net doesn't do better.
okay ... duh ... (Score:5, Insightful)
See naked people (hell even autopron posts on /.)
Centrally communicate (anyone from around the world can join the same chat room).
But let's get into to why when I was a teenager (soo long ago *cough* 3 years ago *cough*)
1.) Private password protected conversations (no more parents overhearing part if not both parts of a conversation over the phone). You have the ability to talk with others without the fear of the parents figuring out what the hell is going on.
2.) Sex. While it may seem a bit innapropriate for the older crowd here, most people from the age of 13+ have sex on the mind, either sex appeal or actually shagging. While of course there may not be a whole lot of knowledge in the area, there's still the curiosity and since mom and dad usually won't take the time to explain sex as it might actually lead to little billy and suzie wanting to try it, they turn to the one source they can find.
3.) Information. Heard something about a war in Iraq, but all you know is mom is indifferent and dad thinks bush is some asshole for it. But you really would like to know what's going on, but can't understand it. Turn to the internet and a search engine, in a few hours you can deem yourself an expert on middle eastern politics.
4.) Pop-Culture. Want to know what's cool and what's not cool and be able to actually survive highschool? Then you need to know what's "hip" and "Cool". So MTV.com and others like it will guide you through the pains of trying to look "normal" and not be a spectacle. There's three types of people in highschool "popular" "normal" and "bad popular". "Bad popular" is basically the kid everyone knows but everyone picks on, if in highschool you want to avoid at all costs this classification. So best way, spend as much dough as you can muster up and stay "normal" with the cool shoes and correct name brands.
5.) Homework. Yes it's true the internet is a vast tool of conquest in knowledge. But even better, no more turning to the index of a book. Hop on to your local libraries website and do a keyword search in a book. AMAZINGLY enough you will know exactly where the boston tea party is mentioned in the first 100 books that are the authroity on the subject. All by never stepping foot in the library, opening the book, or god forbid reading the damned thing. You can find someone elses blog/essay on the subject and get it dumbed down enough to where you can "write it in your own words". "Write it in your own words" is a new form of "writing" where you take the same basic concept and write it in a different manner with different words thus negating any type of plagerism.
All-in-all the TV is there for when someone else is on the computer or there's no emails or active people on your buddy list. Then and only then, you'll hop on the couch and turn on the TV. And what do teenagers watch? Exactly what I said above, but they don't get it in such mass quantities, it's like methadome for a crack addict, keeps ya at bay, but you still don't like it as much.
Re:good! (Score:2, Insightful)
And when they are not instant messanging, they are looking at porn. Long-term activity of that and it probably does the same damage as above. Just my 2cents
Some thought required (Score:3, Insightful)
The main appeal 'net-related activities have for me is the need to think. You spend your time reading, thinking about opinions, actually exercising those little grey neurons.
TV is not interactive, and with the quality of most shows currently produced, it's boring. Often it steps over the line from merely boring to annoyingly bad production values.
Who wouldn't prefer an entertainment media that doesn't presume one is a drooling moron?
Re:Ok let's see... (Score:2, Insightful)
Positive effects for television (Score:5, Insightful)
don't forget weekends (Score:2, Insightful)
Considering there are 16 hours of free time on Saturday and Sunday, I highly doubt they are cramming all that activity into weeknights.
And has been mentioned before you can do more than one thing at a time (ie. listening to the radio while on the internet)
Re:seventeen hours per week (Score:5, Insightful)
If surveyed, I'd have to reply that at least 90% of my waking life is spent `online', even though the amount of data sent and received may not be more than 1K every few minutes. Since always-on Internet connections started to become common, the concept of being online part of the time and offline at other times is meaningless, the only time I am really offline is when I am outside, somewhere other than my garden.
With the CRAP on tv now a days.. (Score:2, Insightful)
Not that online is any better, but at least you get to choose the crap that infects you.
Advice to all generations: Read a book, quite being sheep.
Re:seventeen hours per week (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Advertising (Score:2, Insightful)
I predict that many corporate and legal structures will flounder and disintegrate on the rocks and shoals of the one world wired community.
Let's see what's on TV (Score:3, Insightful)
Crossing Over with John Edwards...
Ricky Lake and Jerry Springer, yea!!!
Big Brother 25, oh yeah
Pet Psychic?!
Most Sexy Artists of All Time, sure
"This girl is going to choose one guy to marry out of a million, let's see what happens..."
Uh, gee, I can't see why they don't watch so much TV these...
Well, maybe it's because... (Score:2, Insightful)
Of course, I'm sure companies will just see this situation as "Oh, I guess we need to put more advertisements on the web." As if there weren't already pop-up ads galore. Good thing that I haven't seen a pop-up ad in years, [mozilla.org] otherwise I'd be really annoyed. :-)
In the end, the internet is better than television at conveying things like information and/or news because it is much faster and more efficient. And I won't even begin to get into the more addictive side of the internet, such as online multiplayer games (*cough* Counterstrike *cough*) ;-)