The new Ofcom study has Mathew wondering the same thing that crossed my mind when I first read reports of its results on the BBC. The BBC reports a “radical media shift” driven by 16-24’s, who, according to the study, are using the internet 21 minutes a week more than the UK average (spending an average of 3 hours a week on the ‘net), and watching TV seven hours less. I’d be curious to know how these numbers stack up to the latest Pew data.
Three things caught my attention here. First, I was shocked that UK kids are only using the ‘net 21 minutes a week more than the average. That’s 3 minutes a day, which I assume is statistically significant, but in any event seems less than trivial to me. My takeaway is that UK kids are not really using the internet any more than the average population. All of that YouTubing and MySpacing amounts to a mere 21 extra minutes a week?
Second, I was surprised that the average time online was only 3 hours per week. That amounts to sending and answering daily email (if that), and not much more, in my world.
Finally, I keep hearing that young people entering the workforce today have a much more relaxed work ethic than the generations that have preceded them. Born and raised in comparative affluence, in peacetime, and in the warm glow of the TV, they are apparently not as interested as their parents, etc. were in the long hours one tends to have to spend at work in the early years of one’s working life. That’s the conventional wisdom in any event. OK, maybe. But assuming that’s true, and assuming they are also spending seven hours a week less than the average watching TV, what on earth are they doing with all of that free time?