Laffitte Conseil

Web Users Reading Less Print

Since 2001, most Internet users say that they have continued reading the same amount of printed material, according to the USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future. Three-quarters said so in 2001, and 70% did in 2006.

But the number of Internet users saying they spend less time with offline printed materials rose from 19.3% in 2001 to 23.2% in 2006.

In a statement accompanying the findings, the USC Annenberg Center said Internet users "are using printed materials less often and are instead seeking out that information online, frequently from the online versions of the same sources. Everything in our work strongly suggests that this trend will increase significantly."

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Users will also pay a one-time fee for some content

Times are good for ad-supported online content. YouTube has put transparent ads on the bottom one-fifth of videos from its content partners. And The Wall Street Journal, one of the few paid-content success stories, is considering making its online version free.

Most consumers think that viewing ads in exchange for quality content is fair, according to IBM's "The End of Advertising" report, published in August 2007. More than six in 10 consumers IBM surveyed said they preferred ad-supported online content, while 28% preferred paying for ad-free media.

However, "don't expect consumers to spend incrementally on different devices," said Bill Battino, study co-author and communications sector managing partner at IBM Global Business Services, in a Brandweek interview. "People want to pay for content once and then move it" to whatever device they like.

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Even Preteens Multitask

Is your toddler multitasking?

Multitasking begins as early as age 2, according to the NPD Group's "Kids' Leisure Time II" report.

Kids between the ages of 2 and 12 years old spend more than a quarter of their leisure time doing two or more activities at the same time. Favorite pastimes among the sample group included reading, using the computer, spending time with friends, listening to music and watching TV.

Kids today have plenty of leisure time, with 2-to-11-year-olds averaging roughly 68 hours a week, and 5-to-12-year-olds averaging 58 hours. Toddling 2-to-4-year-olds are true layabouts, averaging 94 hours of leisure time every week.

The NPD study concurs with a large-scale study of media behaviors among children and teens conducted in 2004 by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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