Internet Second Preferred Form Of Entertainment, Says Study

A recent study by Edelman said that many consider social media to be a “higher value experience compared with other forms of entertainment.” This comes from a survey of 1,000 adults in the U.S. and U.K.

42 percent of the 18-34 year old demographic said that the Internet was their primary form of entertainment, an increase over the 27 percent from just last year. The Internet placed number two behind television with 32 percent of 18-54 year olds in the U.S. preferring the Internet and 58 percent choosing TV (the ratio was 30 and 57 percent in the U.K.).

73 percent of 18-24 year olds in the U.S. and 61 percent in the U.K. consider social networks a form of entertainment. While consumers generally don’t see Internet brands as entertainment companies, the majority of respondents felt that social networks are more entertaining than television, music and gaming.

“While not surprising that TV tops the list, seeing the Internet rank second as a source of entertainment  – evolving from its origins as a source of information – is significant, comments Gail Becker, President of Edelman’s Western region. We believe that all companies today exist in this new era that we call social entertainment and we will continue to see its influence on how consumers and companies engage with entertainment and with each other.”

32 percent of U.K. consumers and 28 percent of U.S. consumers said they trust entertainment companies. And while Facebook may be making a push towards integrating personal information with the rest of the web, many are unwilling to give up personal information to access free entertainment.

“The study shows that consumers do value privacy but perhaps they are not considering the personal information that they already distribute freely via social networks, adds Jonathan Hargreaves, Managing Director of Technology, Edelman Europe. Social entertainment impacts the role of privacy both in how individuals behave online but also in terms of how entertainment companies use customer information. This new era has created a shift in the trust dynamic and businesses must consider the implications of this in order to nurture future trust in a brand.”