It may come as no surprise to learn that Web 2.0 sites such as Facebook and MySpace are causing more and more people to spend huge chunks of free time online, but what of the poor, long-serving television set that’s gathering dust in the corner amid all these Internet-fuelled social distractions?
According to an IBM survey examining consumer behaviour, the amount of time we presently spend hunched before our keyboards and monitors is now comparable to the time we spend watching the olde goggle box. More pointedly, where online motivation is concerned, the massive popularity boost recently associated with social networking Web sites is considered to be one of the driving reasons why the pull of the ever-faithful TV continues to decline.
IBM’s consumer behavioural report outlines the influential effects of social networking sites while also revealing that tech savvy mobile consumers are surpassing expectations with regard to their attachment to mobile media content that would otherwise be available via more traditional channels.
In terms of actual percentages, the study revealed that while some 19 percent of those polled admitted to spending as much as six hours per day immersed in personal Internet use, only 8 percent returned that they spent the same time watching the television. 66 percent of respondents claimed to watch anywhere between one to four hours of TV per day, while 60 percent said they spent a similar amount of time online on a daily basis.
The pull of watching video content while online continues to grow, with around 67 percent of those global participants asked by IBM admitting to have watched online video or claiming that they certainly would like to have the opportunity. The draw of mobile content also appears to be substantial, with some 35 percent of polled individuals returning that they already have or would like to watch mobile video media.
Specific online destination attachment saw 39 percent of those polled saying they visited video-sharing Web site YouTube more than any other. Video-based content offered by social networking sites, online search engines, and TV network sites also proved extremely popular with those people looking to embrace video content access via such services.
Rather than sitting before the TV in order watch a movie or a TV show, it would appear that mobile users (generally beneath the age of 20) are especially drawn to the overriding portability factor on offer via their technologically advanced handsets.
"They may start a film at home and then watch it on a laptop or cell on the go," said Bill Battino, one of the IBM study’s authors, via a Reuters report before then going on to explain that they often like to consume their content in several small portions of conveniently accessed portions of available personal time. Battino also offered that, while consumers seem eager to purchase leading mobile content, it’s highly unlikely that they will invest in that media more than once where different devices are concerned. "People want to pay for content once and then move it," between their existing devices without incurring further charge.
The IBM Institute for Business and Value study was carried out across approximately 2,500 consumers spread throughout the US, UK, Australia, Germany and Japan. The results will contribute to an overall study connected to the future of advertising, which will be released some time during the autumn.
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