Death of Print: The decline of print and traditional medias? is a a research project by Matthew Carlin a BA Multimedia Student at Nottingham Trent University, UK. The research is looking into the apparent decline of traditional media as reported by some media organisations, and will evaluate whether traditional media is still a viable format in the 21st century.
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According to reports in the press it could seem that way. The BBC news website reports that “Online video 'eroding TV viewing'” (bbc.co.uk 2006) The BBC commissioned an ICM survey and found that “43% of Britons who watch video from the internet or on a mobile device at least once a week said they watched less normal TV as a result.” (bbc.co.uk 2006) Along with this, the survey found that online video viewing is increasing with three quarters of those surveyed said “they now watched more than they did a year ago” (bbc.co.uk 2006) Figure 2.1 gives a breakdown of the survey results
Interestingly though, while the survey found that online video viewing was increasing it also found that online video viewers are still in a minority. It concluded that only “9% of the population do it regularly” and “two-thirds of the population said they did not watch online and could not envisage starting in the next 12 months.” (bbc.co.uk 2006)
The survey also found that there seems to be a generation gap in the use of or viewing of online and mobile video. It found that viewing of online video was popular among the 16-24 age group but the viewing of online video decreased as the age groups got older. Interestingly though that whilst as a general trend the percentage of those age groups watching online video falls as the age gets older, it does rise again in he 65+ age group, a possible theory on this could be the fact that in general people of this age group have more time on their hands than some of the other age groups. The results of this can be seen in figure 2.2
We can see from the BBC report (the video can be seen below) then that online and mobile video viewing is increasing. Whilst online video viewing may still be in the minority, this report suggests that there is a significant trend in the use of online video.
This trend is also confirmed by a recently published International Communications Report by OFCOM. This report analysed trends in the global television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications industries.One of the reports key points was that
“In every country surveyed, broadband usage appears linked to a decline in conventional television viewing. On average around one-third of consumers with broadband access said they watch less television since going online. Conversely, internet access appears to have a positive effect on radio listening, offsetting a decline in hours spent listening to conventional broadcast radio.” (OFCOM 2006)
This trend can also be confirmed by another study by Mediascope Europe. Their study concluded that internet users in Europe are using the internet more than 11 hours a week, this is “an hour more than last year - sending emails, visiting websites, holding online chats and downloading music” (Guardian 2006). This study also concludes that “while web usage is on the rise, television viewing has stagnated across Europe this year.” (Guardian 2006) The same study also concludes that “45% of internet users go online everyday”, This daily usage is apparently particularly high” among thee 16-24 year old age group, with 53% of those in this category who have web access, going online every day” Also the study concludes that “Men also use the web much more than women with 51% of male web users accessing the internet daily compared with just 38% of women. The mediascope survey also looked at when exactly in the day people use the internet it found that “From 6am to 10am the majority of European internet users prefer to listen to the radio or read a paper. But that picture inverts dramatically as the day progresses. From 5.30pm to 9pm, three-quarters of web users are watching TV but almost as many are accessing the internet - suggesting many are doing both.” (Guardian 2006) The report puts this increase in internet use down to growth in high speed internet access. This has led to people who until recently, used to only use the internet to say send an e-mail, to enable them to truly use a wealth of multimedia on the web.
Research conducted independently for this report also confirms some of the trends found by both the BBC survey and Mediascope survey. The research found that for certain age groups at least the average amount of TV they watched per week was less than for how long they used the internet for on average per week. See fig 2.3 below.
| Age Range | Avg No. Hrs of TV Watched | Avg Hrs using Internet |
|---|---|---|
| 16-20 | 17.06 | 21.192 |
| 21-30 | 18.12 | 22.804 |
| 31-40 | 16.0125 | 12.125 |
| 41-50 | 30.25 | 15.7 |
| 51-60 | 27 | 0 |
As we can see from fig 2.3 above, for the 16-20 and 21-30 age groups the amount of hours they spend on the internet is more than for the amount of hours they spend watching television. This confirms the BBC survey results showing the breakdown of the age groups watching video online. In that survey the 16-24 and 25-34 age groups took the biggest shares who were watching online.
Another interesting outcome from the survey conducted for this report but also confirmed by the other Surveys is that overall; the amount of hours using the internet is actually more than the hours spent watching TV, although admittedly this is only by a just over an hour, (19.6 hours using the internet versus 18.1 spent watching TV)
The survey also discovered that everybody who was surveyed owns a mobile phone (this is backed up by the recent report by OFCOM into the telecommunications and media Market which discovered that the penetration in the Mobile market is 110% currently meaning that there are more active phones than people in the UK) (OFCOM 2006). With this evidence, it is rather unsurprising that everyone surveyed owns a mobile. The fact that everyone owns a mobile may be one of the factors in the ever increasing penetration of digital media into everyday life. As mobile are getting more powerful, they are getting digital camera’s, MP3 players and other such devices in them. This means that they are getting more and more use on a regular basis as they are in a device which people use and carry with them everyday.
The survey also discovered that there was a particularly high ownership of laptops amongst those surveyed. (do a figure here) This is probably due to laptops falling dramatically in price in recent years meaning they are now more affordable to the ‘average working man’. This is probably helping digital media play more of a part in everyday life as powerful laptop computers are no longer just for people with a large income. The survey also found that along with a high ownership of laptops, they were also used everyday by most of the people who owned one. This is showing that at least some forms of digital media are playing a part in the everyday life of people.
The survey conducted by this report also looked into what exactly people were using the internet for. It found that the majority of people used the internet for communicating via e-mail or Instant Messaging. This is not unsurprising really considering some of digital media’s properties, the fact than it can be turned from one for to another, that it can be compressed into small spaces easily. It is also quicker to send because of these properties and because of digital infrastructures in place, why wait for a letter to be delivered in a few days when you can send an e-mail to the same person that will be delivered almost instantaneously, and while your doing that why not add a photo to that e-mail without having to print it out, worry about it getting crushed in the post. This shows why digital media such as e-mail and instant messaging is becoming more and more popular, and why e-mails are forming a part of a lot of people’s everyday lives.
A high number of participants in the survey also said they used the internet for research.
This is probably due to the fact that internet search engines are now one of the key applications on the World Wide Web and millions of pounds are poured into developing new and better ways of searching and indexing the internet. Take the example of Google. Goggle started out as a small search engine run by two university individuals, but quickly became one of the biggest search engines on the World Wide Web, and now it is usually the first stop for people needing to use a search engine. Google have also launched a number of projects to not only index and make searchable the web but also things like academic books this could be one of the reasons why many people are using the internet for research, it is much easier to go on the internet and search for a topic than it is to go to the local library and research the same topic. Also because of the nature of digital media and the fact it can be compressed into small spaces it means that there is many more places to research and more data than any physical library can hold.
The survey conducted for this report also posed a number of statements to participants and gauged their response to this on a scale of 1-7, where 1 is they totally agree with the statement and 7 they totally disagree with the statement. The first statement in this survey was “I use digital media (internet, mobiles etc) more than I use traditional media (TV, print etc)” see fig 2.5 below
We can see from fig 2.5 above that 65% of those surveyed agree to a certain extent that they use digital media more than they use traditional media If we take these figures and compare them to the ages of the people who answered either 1, 2 or 3 (i.e. they agree to a certain extent) then we discover that the majority of the people who answered that they agree are from the 16-20 or 21-30 category. This confirms the trend put forward by both the BBC and Mediascope survey.
The next statement to be asked was “Digital media has lead to a better quality of life for myself” see fig 2.6 below.
We can see from this that again there is a large percentage who agree to at least some extent to the statement proposed, almost 50% of the people surveyed infact. This shows again this trend towards the increasing use of digital media in everyday life, as people are thinking that it is leading towards a better quality of life, therefore there is tendency to use digital media more. Arguably only 13% strongly agree with the statement, the majority (30%) only just agree with the statement. Again if we look at the ages of those who agreed with the statement, it is mainly the 16-20 and 21-30 age group saying they agree whilst the older age groups tend to either disagree or neither agree nor disagree. Again this data can be seen in appendix B
The next statement asked was “Technology is moving too fast for me to keep up with” Results can be seen below in fig 2.7
From the results of the asking of this statement, the report discovered that 70% of people asked disagree with this statement. This the report feels, shows the trend of digital media becoming part of everyday life, people lives are now ingrained with technology from birth meaning that a lot of people especially the younger generation are very technologically ‘savvy’ meaning that they are keeping up with the technological change. Strangely though, on this question there doesn’t seem to be a trend towards the older age groups agreeing with this statement like with the two previous statements, which showed these age groups tending to disagree with the statements.
The next statement asked was “Digital media (internet, mobiles etc) plays a part in my everyday life”. Results from this are in fig 2.8
As we can see from the chart a large majority strongly agree with this statement that “Digital media (internet, mobiles etc) plays a part in my everyday life , 66% infact, and those who agree to any extent make up 86%, this is a clear indication of the trend that digital media is becoming part of everyday life. This statement however, like the first two statements in the survey but unlike the previous statement shows a trend of the older age groups disagreeing with the statements, and that there appears to be a generation gap on the use of digital media.
The next statement asked was “I often send e-mail or texts rather than writing letters”.
We can see from fig 2.9 that again a large majority strongly agree with the statement “I often send e-mail or texts rather than writing letters” This again shows that there is definitely a trend for digital media becoming part of everyday life. 89% of participants say they agree to any extent that they send e-mails or texts rather than writing letters. This as described previously in this chapter is probably due to the fact that e-mails are quicker and easier to write than your traditional letter. The research results also show on this question that those who disagree with this statement are again in the older age groups.
Another statement asked as part of the questionnaire was “In 5 years time I will not be using traditional media (TV, Print)”
This statement showed some interesting results, even though in previous questions people agreed that digital media was part of their everyday life, only 3 % strongly agree that in 5 years time they will not be using traditional media, the biggest majority in this statement cam from those who strongly agree at 24%. These results however back up the results of the BBC survey. In their survey, when asked how often they watch online/mobile video 67% of people replied that they never did or could not envisage doing so in the future.
One of the last statements asked in the questionnaire was “I rely on digital media to get things done in my life”
The results from this statement are more equal than most of the other statements, however there is still a majority that agree to any extent that digital media plays a part in their life. (52% who agree, 17% who neither agree nor disagree, and 31% who disagree to any extent) This shows that the trend in the use of digital media in everyday life is confirmed by the results of this statement.
There have also been other indications that digital media may be part of everyday life. The BBC news website reports on a virtual school “Virtual school ‘beats real thing’.” This report describes how a 12 year old student “Zack from Grimsby” (bbc.co.uk 2006) logs onto his computer for his “virtual school” everyday at 9am. This is a perfect example of how digital media has now started to play in a part in the everyday lives of people. Instead of having to go to school, a user of this virtual school can use digital media to achieve most things that they usually learn at a traditional school. However, it is pointed out in the report that there is “no physical exercise or eye contact, little verbal and physical communication and no chance to learn how to handle the bustle and bullying in the playground.” And that they have tried to encourage the use of media such as microphones or webcams. This apparently though has had some resistance as most students are “happier quietly texting and retreating from the pressures of speaking up in class.” With this is mind it could be argued that whilst the technology does exist to enable “virtual school” it is only probably most suitable for those that have had problems with traditional schools. It would also require a large shift in the attitude of the population as parents would have to stay at home to keep watch on their child rather the child being watched whilst they were at school. With this key point it is unlikely that we will ever see the whole school system based around this kind of virtual school.
A recent Guardian report “Record numbers listen to BBC radio online” (Guardian 2006) reports that the BBC has recorded record figures for its radio on demand service. This suggests another way that digital media has started to affect everyday life, instead of having to listen to a radio show where you don’t like the presenter or has got inferior sound quality, why not listen to your favourite presenter who’s show you missed last night. Or even that great radio show from America? The mediascope survey mentioned earlier in this chapter suggests that most European Internet users “prefer to listen to the radio or read a newspaper between 6am-10am”, it doesn’t however give a figure on how many of these people are listening to radio via a computer. This would be an interesting read if this figure was available.
Websites such as secondlife.com also show how far digital media has penetrated everyday life. Secondlife.com is a virtual community where users interact with other users in a 3d environment, in some ways it is similar to social networking sites like myspace.com and facebook but it allows you to create an “avatar” to use in the virtual world. Secondlife describes itself as “Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by a total of 1,932,425 people from around the globe.” It has proved very popular and successful with new users signing up each day.” The other key thing that distinguishes this site from the other social networking sites is the ability to make money from “virtual land” in secondlife.com’ virtual world. Some users have been so successful making money from secondlife.com that it is a primary source of income. This evidence shows how far digital media has penetrated into the lives of some people.
The question posed at the beginning of this chapter was “Does digital media now play a part in everyday life? As we can see from the results of the survey conducted for this report confirms the results discovered by the other two surveys done by the BBC and Mediascope, along with some of the data discovered by the OFCOM report. The data shown by all three surveys, confirm there is certainly a trend towards the increasing use of digital media in everyday life, especially amongst the younger generation, who seem to have adapted to digital media more than the older generation. The data from the surveys, specifically the BBC survey and the survey conducted by this report also show that is somewhat of an age gap in the use of digital media, whether this is due to them not having the time to use digital media fully or another reason certainly remains unclear,
We have seen in this chapter then that there is certainly a trend towards the use of digital media in everyday life. The results of the surveys and the news reports confirm this. It would be fair to say though that at this point digital media is not part of the everyday life of everybody, but certainly it is for section of people. This is confirmed by the results of the survey especially in questions such as “digital media plays a part in my everyday life and “I rely on digital media to get things done in my life” This is also confirmed by the fact that even though a virtual community such as second life has almost 2 million users there is a tiny amount if you consider this as a percentage of the total population of the entire planet. For digital media like that to be considered to be part of everyday life you would need its user figures to be in billions rather than millions. It would be interesting to undertake a similar survey in on this same question in 5 or 10 years time to see if digital media has penetrated further into the lives of everyday people.
So, does digital media play a part in everyday life? No, but it is certainly a trend for some.