Young people are more multifunctional
Media Use: More and more communication channels are converging in cell phones. But people are slow to adopt many of these features.
more communication channels. But many functions are only hesitantly
used. The same applies to hard disk recorders: the world used to be simple. Who uses radio
wanted to listen to, bought a radio and switched it on. Who
wanted to make a phone call, bought a phone and dialed a number. Tempi
passati. Today, convergence is all the rage. Telephones, for example
have not only become mobile, but also radios,
cameras, organizers and game consoles.
But the convergence of technology is one thing, its use is another.
others. The question of whether consumers will accept such multifunctionality
media expert Ueli Custer at the Digi Trend Forum from the
October 5. The KommTech study by the
Interessengemeinschaft elektronische Medien (IGEM) and the Publica
Data. It asked 1050 German-speaking Swiss about both the existing
equipment of their cell phones as well as the actual use.
There is a clear gap here. Although 19 percent of
cell phone owners use it to receive radio. But only 5 percent
really do switch on at least once in a while. Similarly with the
Organizer functions: Almost half have them, not even one
fifth use them. Ten percent have devices that also play music
but only three percent use this option. Somewhat
The difference is smaller for the cell phone camera, which is around one
third of respondents own and about a quarter use.
Young people use cell phone cameras more often
Especially when taking pictures, however, a
Generational difference. Of the 15 to 24-year-olds, 47 have already
percent have a camera in their cell phone - and just as many use it.
The other secondary functions are also more popular among young people.
While around half also have an organizer at their disposal,
over a quarter already use it. 27 percent can listen to the radio, eight
percent do. Only ten percent play music on their cell phone, even though
22 percent could do so.
So does this mean that convergence only takes place as we grow up?
will prevail among the younger generation? Ueli Custer sees
another possibility: the young people as early adopters, as
Early adopters and trendsetters, for whom the older classes have something
follow with a delay. This is supported by further results of the
KommTech study. The distribution of DVD recorders in the
population is as high today as it was last year for the
young people - while they have already hurried on ahead.
The situation is similar with the use of MP3 players as recording devices or
the computer as a music player.
Nevertheless, it remains clear to Custer that the presence of devices and
their use are two completely different pairs of boots. These
This insight can probably also be applied to the hard disk recorder,
which trend researchers have repeatedly declared the nemesis of television advertising.
has been stylized. After all, it enables unwanted commercials to be
simply fade out.
However, the hard disk recorder is also one of the most
modern multifunctional devices with all kinds of additional benefits. Which of these
interest of consumers remains to be seen. After all
the device is usually referred to as a recorder and not as a
ad blocker, which already suggests a weighting. And
In fact, the German study "TimeBudget 11" commissioned by
from SevenOne Media that the purchase of a hard disk recorder requires the
skipping advertising was the most recent motivation. Only four percent
of respondents cited this as a reason. The time-shifted
At seven percent, television did not prove to be particularly attractive.
The most important thing for buyers was that they did not have to use removable media such as
cassettes or DVDs (20%), followed by the better
quality in picture and sound (18%) and the desire to be at the cutting edge of technology.
technology (16%). Recording, saving or digitizing
of programs were mentioned by 13 percent.
However, hard disk recorders are also currently making inroads in Switzerland
This has proved particularly popular with young people. Last year
Among young people, as among the population as a whole, only 0.8 percent have a
such a device for recording. In 2005, the total share rose to
3.3 percent - among 15 to 24-year-olds, however, to more than double that figure.
so much. Whether young people can also act as pioneers of new
It remains to be seen what effect this will have on usage patterns.
Stefano Monachesi
