Most people spend almost a third of their day using two or more media at one time, with media use being the single biggest activity undertaken by consumers in their daily routine, according to the latest Middletown Media Studies II report.
The report, conducted by researchers at the Ball State University Center for Media Design, found that people spend an average of 9 hours a day consuming media. Television is shown to be the most popular medium of the observed day in terms of minutes of exposure, with as many as 70% of respondents exposed to it at certain times.
On average, the research found that respondents spent more time with the computer than any other medium, with the exception of TV, partaking in online activities such as the internet, email or instant messaging.
Radio remains in second place as the main media activity, with computer usage closely behind as people’s preferred media.
According to the research, the majority of people’s media consumption, 56.9%, takes place in the home, with 21.1% at work, 8.3% in the car and 13.7% in other locations.
Per average day, television use, newspaper reading and using video are the highest at the weekend, with various online activities highest during the week, while radio consumption remains virtually unchanged day to day.
According to the Simultaneous Media Usage Survey (SIMM V) released at the beginning of this year, two-thirds of TV viewers claim to regularly or occasionally read their mail at the same time, while 60% also go online. 55% read the newspaper while simultaneously watching television and 52% read magazines (see TV Viewing Down Due To Multi-Tasking).
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