Nightshift

“ UK citizens are increasingly watching online video but for 79% it does not have any impact on the time they spend to watch live/scheduled tv programs. (…) The youngest age groups are definitely more impacted and likely to shift their viewing behaviour away from the tube to online stream.”   The Digital Entertainment survey, which audited leisure and entertainment activities from which TV, mobile and movies consumption patterns have been drawn, also predicts that over this year consumers will increase time they spent for 47 of the 49 activities described. The researchers of the survey comment this prediction: ‘considering how squeezed consumers ’s time is already this is unreasonable and perhaps even impossible”.

Its a complete misunderstanding of a dramatic reality of our today world: Time is being created that didn’t exist before - I’m quoting from my Swedish Farfar friends.

There’s no such thing as a viewing behavior shift from tube to online. What we see today is a shift from a viewing behavior from one single device to an other device TO a simultaneous viewing behavior of multiple devices.
Unlike their parents consuming an average of 1.7 media channels, teenagers grow up being exposed to 5. 4 of them. Martin Lindstrom who stressed this reality in the presentation he gave at Imagine 07 also shared PEW numbers showing that multi consumption reality: back in 2006, a typical 21 year-old played 5,000 hours of video games, exchange 250,000 mails, instant and sms messages, 10, 000 hours on mobile phone usage, 3, 500 hours of time online. Teenagers are no monomaniacs. They have developed an MDCS: a Multiple Devices Consumption Syndrom.

Where the report is right on spot is in hightlighting the switch in emotional engagement. While emotional attachment for traditional media tends to be highly correlated with age, teenagers show a much higher level of attachment with digital entertainment activities. Early adopters, they carry on themselves a lot of ‘portable content’ ( including music and videos on their iphone and cutting egede mobile phones), increasing their emotional bond with the devices they own. Have a look at the graph: the differences between today male population aged 45-54 and the younger age group will help you understand why you can feel so different from your sons. With playing MMORPG games creating the greatest deal of attachment, I can’t help but wondering about the future social impact…/Anyone?