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Consumers switch on to join communications revolution
IT News |
19/08/2010
UK consumers are spending longer using media and communications devices than ever before, a new study has indicated.
Ofcom reports that the average person now spends 45 per cent of their waking hours watching TV, using their mobile phone, browsing the internet and networking online.
According to the media regulator, consumers are sending four times as many text messages per day than in 2004 and watching almost four hours of TV per day.
Many people are said to be using more than one media device at the same time, helping to push the average consumption up to eight hours 48 minutes per day.
The growing use of smartphones is helping to exacerbate the trend, Ofcom said, with the mobile devices particularly popular among the under 25s.
But it is seemingly not just Generation Y that is being drawn into the world of constant communication, with people in the over-55 age category quickly catching up as broadband technology becomes commonplace.
Another reason for the growing use of media and communication tools is thought to be the increased affordability of devices such as mobiles, TVs and laptops.
The Ofcom report showed that household monthly spend on communication services has fallen by 9.4 per cent over the past five years to £91.24, with strong market competition and the advent of bundled services applying downward pressure on prices.
Peter Phillips, partner for strategy and market developments at Ofcom, said that for the first time, it is becoming clear how central media and communications are to our lives.
"Increasingly, mobile devices are used for multi-media, but live evening TV still remains the main entertainment event of the day," he stated.
"Consumers are using communications services more, phone calls, texting and the internet, yet they are paying less."
Posted by Stephen Wilkinson
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