As technology continues to advance throughout the decades, it has become a stronger force in shaping our opinions, the speed with which information reaches us and how we communicate with each other. From radio to television to computers, Internet, mobile devices and now social media, each revolution of media has increased its presence and influence in our lives. Both older and younger generations collectively plug in to this technical takeover.
In fact, a new study released by the Kaiser Family Foundation now finds that kids ages 8- to 18-years-old spend the rough equivalent of every waking hour of their time in front of some kind of screen.
“Today, 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes (7:38) to using entertainment media across a typical day (more than 53 hours a week). And because they spend so much of that time ‘media multitasking’’(using more than one medium at a time), they actually manage to pack a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes (10:45) worth of media content into those 7½ hours.”
This Mashable.com report has some interesting conjectures on how prevalent media consumption is in our children’s lives. But at a staggering 10 hours and 45 minutes of media time, there’s no doubt that media consumption plays a role in shaping the opinions of the younger generation. If you have children, think of how often they are watching TV, on the computer or texting on their phones.
The real question remains, has it replaced parents or friends as the dominant influencers in a child’s life? It’s a provocative question that holds significance for parents and for the companies and organizations that will adapt to create life-long brand advocates from very early on in our children’s and grandchildren’s lives. These groups have opportunities like never before to shape the way we and our children think. But is it right? Is there an age limit on ethical influence?
How these influencers can positively or negatively affect future generations has yet to be seen, but I’m confident it will be an integral part of how organizations and PR companies operate moving into the future. In part, it already is.
As technology continues to advance throughout the decades, it has become a stronger force in shaping our opinions, the speed with which information reaches us and how we communicate with each other. From radio to television to computers, Internet, mobile devices and now social media, each revolution of media has increased its presence and influence in our lives. Both older and younger generations collectively plug in to this technical takeover.
In fact, a new study released by the Kaiser Family Foundation now finds that kids ages 8- to 18-years-old spend the rough equivalent of every waking hour of their time in front of some kind of screen.
Today, 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes (7:38) to using entertainment media across a typical day (more than 53 hours a week). And because they spend so much of that time ‘media multitasking’’(using more than one medium at a time), they actually manage to pack a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes (10:45) worth of media content into those 7½ hours.
This Mashable.com report has some interesting conjectures on how prevalent media consumption is in our children’s lives. But at a staggering 10 hours and 45 minutes of media time, there’s no doubt that media consumption plays a role in shaping the opinions of the younger generation. If you have children, think of how often they are watching TV, on the computer or texting on their phones.
The real question remains, has it replaced parents or friends as the dominant influencers in a child’s life? It’s a provocative question that holds significance for parents and for the companies and organizations that will adapt to create life-long brand advocates from very early on in our children’s and grandchildren’s lives. These groups have opportunities like never before to shape the way we and our children think. But is it right? Is there an age limit on ethical influence?
How these influencers can positively or negatively affect future generations has yet to be seen, but I’m confident it will be an integral part of how organizations and PR companies operate moving into the future. In part, it already is.
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