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US Adults Will Spend More Than Half the Day Consuming Media, Study Says (emarketer.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report from marketing research firm eMarketer: Thanks to multitasking, US adults' average daily time spent with major media will slightly exceed 12 hours this year, according to eMarketer's latest report. But while our reports early in the decade told a story of robust gains -- with increases in digital usage more than compensating for declines in time spent with nondigital media -- growth has been petering out. Of course, media multitasking is what has made so much usage possible. That is how the figure for time spent can add up to 12 hours a day.

9 of 51 comments (clear)

  1. Consuming media by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Because USB sticks and DVDs are crunchy and delicious with milk.

    *BURP*

  2. That's 3/4 of the day without sleep by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I know math isn't a top subject for Slashdot editors these days, but 12 hours is 3/4 of a 16-hour day, where 16 hours is a 24-hour day minus 8 hours of sleep.

  3. Unemployed? Retired? by aglider · · Score: 2

    How can an employed adult spend 12 hours on media? Either they don't work yet or they don't work any more!

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    1. Re:Unemployed? Retired? by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'm at work right now....

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      If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    2. Re:Unemployed? Retired? by gnick · · Score: 2

      I RTFA. Yes, reading /. counts as consuming media. Any Internet surfing does for this study. Reading stuff on the Internet while listening to music counts double.

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  4. Sigh. by ledow · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "And note our method of accounting for simultaneous usage: If someone spends an hour watching TV (for example) and uses a smartphone to surf the web during the same hour, we count this as an hour of usage for each medium, and hence as 2 hours of total media time."

    So if you watch a program and browse a website during the advert break, that counts twice (one hour each of TV and surfing for one hour)?

    And if you browse 12 websites a day, one an hour for a fraction of a second each, that could count as 12 hours of usage on its own.

    Shitty statistics present shitty conclusions.

  5. So "time spent" is not actually time spent? by gweihir · · Score: 2

    At least that is what I read from the summary. It sounds a bit like if you leave your web-browser open at Facebook, that counts as "time spent with major media". If so, then this figure is basically nonsense.

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  6. Impossible alarmist headline makes Slashdot by uCallHimDrJ0NES · · Score: 2

    Pigs still not flying, hell still warm. Carry on.

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  7. "Multitasking" doing many things badly by bussdriver · · Score: 2

    This makes sense-- consuming multiple inputs at once should go up as the "Luddites" die off. I would expect this to go above 12 hours in the near future.

    As studies show, people who are used to over stimulation, they can filter it out better and focus on what matters better. So if you combine that with an addiction of heavy stimulation without an ability to focus longer than a goldfish you get somebody who has a strong need for many inputs so that they can jump around constantly--- like a channel surfer addict but worse. I've seen these millennials on their phones listening to music, texting, or using some app WHILE watching a movie... and the heavy resistance to not doing this in a movie theater. I've taken away the phone and they end up thinking a movie they should like was boring or they don't like it as much; while total shit is OK with the phone. (if the movie has a good hook of suspense / fear it keeps them engaged so it's no surprise horror is popular and the exception. This only works if they are refreshed on the feeling every 8 seconds. Yes, I've actually counted the seconds. Then it's back to the phone stimulation. BTW, there is zero creativity and imagination which makes sense because that develops from the lack of external stimulation. It also fosters more consumption... )

    Either the content is slow and stupid or they can manage it with their lower IQ due to multitasking-- such as a family movie with subtleties only adults get but in this case it's having something for people operating in low IQ mode but gets great reviews for supporting thinking adults and slow adults.

    You've probably noticed this when you watched a movie again and noticed a lot because the first time you missed things because you were tired or multitasking or forgot much of it (unless you are one of the 1/3 in permanent low IQ mode. If you are unsure, just check if you still support Trump.)