The proliferation of cellphones and other devices have carved away some of television’s lead as the electronic gadget of choice for media consumption.
TVs Losing Ground As Media Device
IBM has found through an online survey that longtime media habits have continued to swing away from the TV set and to an assortment of devices.
Among those who responded to the global survey, 19 percent said they are on the Net for six hours or longer each day. Only nine percent reported the same amount of time spent with the TV.
The change in habits will force advertisers to be more creative and compelling with their messages, or risk being ignored in favor of a better option. People have shifted attention from TV to online content, where they contribute as well as consume.
Mobile devices also present an alternative to the television. It’s more evident in Europe, where for example 26 percent of UK consumers have dialed down their TV viewing in favor of watching a cellphone by ‘a little bit’ or more.
When people go online, they are contributing as well as consuming. Seven percent of US survey respondents said they placed some type of user-generated content online. Social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace have been a bigger draw, with 26 percent of US respondents contributing to those.
