Media through the prism of future generations

I did a guest seminar today for University of Brighton English degree students who had chosen a journalism module.

It was fascinating to get some feedback from the students about their media consumption habits, so much so I decided to throw together a bit of a survey.

Here are the results:

42% buy newspapers at  least once a week
58% regularly watch video/TV on a computer
17% often browse the internet on their mobile phone
100% have a profile on a social networking site

OK - so 12 students isn't a very representative sample, but the results are interesting nonetheless.

I was suprised at the number of students who buy newspapers, but then again these are students who are interested in the media, so you'd expect some of them to buy newspapers.

More significant was the number who regularly watch internet TV - nearly two-thirds. Chatting to them, it was clear that the group could see the benefits of being able watch what the wanted and when they wanted online with things like the BBC's iPlayer and Channel 4's 4oD.

The number of them who browsed the internet using their phones was surprisingly low, but one in five is still significant and I would imagine this increasing rapidly as the post-iPhone devices, which make browsing so much easier, become ubiquitous.

The social networking thing is probably the most powerful message. 100% participation in social networking gives you an idea of how savvy this generation is when it comes to consuming and taking part in digital media.