Generation Y Users Prefer Internet to Television

Telecom News Editorials Reports Glossary

6:30 am on September 18, 2006 | Category: Telecom Services, Internet, Television

18 to 26 year-old young adults are adopting new technology faster than any other generation, now spending more time online than viewing television, according to a new study by Forrester Research.

The research firm surveyed a total of 66,707 households throughout Canada and the United States, and determinded that the average young adult (Generation Y) spends 12.2 hours per week on the internet. That’s 28% longer than the average Generation X user (aged 27 to 40), and twice as long as baby boomers (aged 51 to 61).

Internet users in the Generation Y demographic are also considerably more likely to use online communication services such as instant messaging, and social networking sites like MySpace.com. Studies have consistently shown that they are doing this at the expense of TV watching, which is bad news for North American broadcasters and cable companies.

“All generations adopt devices and Internet technologies, but younger consumers are Net natives who spend more time online than watching television,” said Forrester vice president, Ted Schadler, who co-authored the recent report. “Younger generations live online, reading blogs, downloading podcasts, checking prices before buying, and trading recommendations.”