online mediadaily reporting:
Although U.S. consumers are exposed to more Web-connected devices than
ever before, they actually report spending less time online, according
to new research from Forrester.
How is
that possible? For modern consumers, the lines between everyday life and
"going online" are simply blurring, according to Gina Sverdlov, an
analyst at Forrester.
"Given the various types of
connected devices that U.S. consumers own, many people are connected and
logged on (automatically) at all times," according to Sverdlov.
As such, consumers no longer consider some of
the online activities they perform -- i.e., going on Facebook -- to be activities related to "using the Internet."
“It’s only when consumers are actively doing a
specific task, like search, that they consider this to be time that they’re spending online,” Sverdlov explains.
How
do all the devices consumers now own play together?
“We found that the user experience defines device preference,” said
Sverdlov, citing the research she did with fellow Forrester colleague
Samantha Jaddou.
“For
example, the majority of U.S online consumers still rely on their main
computer (either a laptop or a desktop) to perform serious online tasks,
such as shopping, banking, or booking travel -- even
when they have access to a smartphone or a tablet.”
Engaging
with social media is the only activity where tablet owners are equally
likely to use their tablet or their mobile
phone. Even then, the laptop remains the No. 1 device of choice,
Sverdlov notes. She also found that social activities have become so
dominant that they are actually cannibalizing other online
activities.
According to Forrester's 2012 Technographics surveys
of over 58,000 U.S. online adults, 70% now visit social networking
sites regularly, while 59% watch video from other
users -- 12 and 11 percentage points more, respectively, than just two
years ago.
Online activities that have “dipped” this year include posting to photo-sharing sites or
adding labels or tags to online photos, as both activities can now be done on social networking sites.
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