What would you rather lose: Your TV, Internet or phone?
Summary: A new Ofcom survey suggests 16-25 year old's would rather give up their mobile's than web access or television. What would you give up?
A new survey by Ofcom, the British telecommunications regulator, says that Millennials aged 16-24 would rather give up television than mobile phones and Internet access.
In the survey, which forms part of Ofcom's media literacy report, just 23% said they would struggle without television, with 26% missing the web and 28% missing their phones. However, with this, the survey also found that Millennials were spending more time online than last year, from mobile access to games console use.
The 12- to 15-year olds age range show they spend 15.6 hours a week online, just under the 17.2 hours they spend watching television.
It's hardly surprising; as the two features television lacks that are crucial to the younger generation is the ability to be interactive, and the functionality of being social.
Nevertheless, it does pin an interesting point on the evolution that is needed from traditional means of one-sided communication, like television, to suit the needs of the upcoming to-be 'dominant' generation. Simply put, if these trends continue, the industry has to be ready to adapt to what the majorative demographic wants; as seen in these results.
The television has evolved over the years. On-demand television is becoming ever more sociable with plug-ins and Facebook integration to share watching habits and programme interests. Yet at the same time, many younger people -- students, on the most part -- consume television online, so being without the web would also mean being without television content, whether broadcast or on-demand.
The survey, however, doesn't take into account the poor broadband speeds offered to many rural areas, where the television is often more reliable than the connection they receive.
Students in this bracket often have far faster connections due to their proximity to the university campus. This not only sways the results, but in some ways negates it.
Personally, I could live without television. If it means going without seeing Piers Morgan's face on a regular basis, I think it would be quite an easy task, frankly. But then again, I download many of my programmes off the web. Does that count, do you think?
Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily email newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.
Talkback
RE: What would you rather lose: TV or your phone?
RE: What would you rather lose: TV or your phone?
LOL so true. I could give up TV as well because you can watch it on the internet and now on your mobile devices. Verizon used to have a live TV service, not sure if they still do.
Remarkable!
You actually managed to post a comment where you don't make sorry excuses for Microsoft or bash everything else.
There's hope for the world yet!
RE: What would you rather lose: TV or your phone?
RE: What would you rather lose: TV or your phone?
RE: What would you rather lose: TV or your phone?
How abour losing ZDNet's talkbacks instead? It's mostly flame wars between users who still believe that technology has some religious importance (Linux/Windows/Mac, IE/Firefox/Chrome/Opera, iPhone/Android/and-maybe-someday Windows Phone, ...).
</humour>
RE: What would you rather lose: TV or your phone?
" iPhone/Android/and-maybe-someday Windows Phone"
Here you started it already with your and-maybe-someday prefix to Windows Phone. You are religious about your iPhone/Android :D
RE: What would you rather lose: TV or your phone?
Glad you saw the humour in my post. BTW, I own a Windows Phone 7. Not bad. The interface is great (really!) but still some issues: lack of multitasking, sometimes slow in the Marketplace, weak application store (I didn't want to get sued by Apple so I didn't write AppSt*re).
RE: What would you rather lose: TV or your phone?
And you, sir, are religious about defending Microsoft (interesting that you feel there is a need for this!) and bashing its competitors at every turn. Typical troll.
Personally, I would give up my phone AND the TV to get rid of all the tedious trolls and shills on ZDNet. It would be so nice to read some informed and unbiased opinions and experience without having to wade through all the dross and bile from the usual suspects.
TV by far
Full speed ahead
The idea that people who are now 15 will have the same wants and needs ten or twenty years from now is an interesting one. That is a form of linear extrapolation one rarely sees.
All of them
RE: What would you rather lose: TV or your phone?
RE: What would you rather lose: TV or your phone?
RE: What would you rather lose: TV or your phone?
TV EASLY
At least with the net, you can skip, or at least control the amount of ads you get.
Yes, they need ads to survive, but like you. I rather buy or download TV shows to stop watching ads. But the problem is, they keep cutting out more and more show, even if they don't show ads. So now an 'hour' show is actually 45 minutes.
Be nice if they actually made shows worth watching anymore.
RE: What would you rather lose: TV or your phone?
RE: What would you rather lose: TV or your phone?
RE: What would you rather lose: TV or your phone?
The content (for the most part) can be legally and conveniently access on the Internet...without the ads, and at your own convenience.
The shift away from television as the dominant medium is already taking place, and I'm looking forward to in coming years, when "web channels" emerge with large amounts high-quality original content.
We might still have large, HD monitors in our living rooms, but the era of sitting down to watch "TV" in it's scheduled, ad driven form will be a thing of the past.
RE: What would you rather lose: TV or your phone?