Despite popularity, the Internet doesn’t trump traditional media

An increasing number of Canadians spend a lot of time online but not at the expense of traditional media, according to a report released today. Specifically, television viewing among Canadians has declined only slightly since 2004, although the decrease has been the same for Internet users and non-users.Canada Online! The Internet, Media and Emerging Technologies: Uses, attitudes, trends and international comparisons 2007 was released by researchers from Ryerson University's Canadian Internet Project (CIP). Overall, the report says Canadians spend approximately 45 hours a week accessing traditional media. Charles Zamarian, principal investigator and project director at the CIP, says this represents a 15% drop from the 50 hours recorded three years ago."This suggests to us that there isn't a displacement, rather the Internet is supplementing instead of displacing traditional media."The report also says Canadians are increasingly using the Internet while doing other things. This multi-tasking is both casual and experiential and occurs across several platforms.Zamarian says what's interesting about this trend is the fact that there is no specific reason for Canadians getting on the Internet other than just to browse. Approximately three in four Canadians-about 7% -multi-task while online. Multi-tasking is particularly common among young people between the ages of 18 and 29, with more than half of those interviewed reporting engaging in it. Popular multi-tasking activities online include talking on the telephone or cell phone, watching television and listening to music on the radio."That tends to suggest the Internet is evolving more into a community or experiential place as opposed to a conduit for information," says Zamarian.Another of the report's key findings is that Canadians are generally comfortable with technology and media, especially young people and heavy Internet users. However, most Canadians are uneasy about the security of financial information on the Internet and the reliability of such information. The report says newspapers are still considered the most reliable source of information compared to all other media.Elaine Kunda, president and CEO of ZipLocal, an online bilingual Canadian business directory with offices in Toronto and Montreal, says the adoption of the Internet in schools, homes and workplaces has made this possible."The cost of the Internet has gone down and it has made it cheaper. It seems to be part of everybody's life now," she says.Primarily, Canadians use the Internet for getting information, entertainment and learning, says another key finding of the report. Downloading and listening to online music is by far the most popular entertainment activity. Some 56% of those interviewed reported engaging in these activities, which is more pronounced among young people. Topping the list are downloading and listening to music online, visiting television websites, playing games, downloading or watching videos and listening to the radio, followed by other popular entertainment-related activities. Popular information activities include checking maps, searching for health or travel information, checking information on books and authors as well as cultural events.The report gathered information from 2,750 Canadians who were randomly selected for interviews, including a sample of 400 youth. Zamarian says the lesson policymakers can draw from the report is that Canadians are increasingly attracted to cross-platform and converged material."And so Canada's policy with respect to agencies like Telefilm Canada and the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund are fundamentally important to ensure that content is available to Canadians," he says.Other key highlights• Most Canadians use the Internet for news and news-related information purposes.• Although the Internet is primarily a conduit for information, entertainment-related activities have increased dramatically since 2004 when a similar report was last released by the CIP.• Apart from communication and information-oriented activities, Canadians now engage in a range of applications and activities online.• The Internet is now a community and social engagement venue where new forms of interaction are being experienced among Canadians.• Downloading and streaming of online content has increased dramatically.• Canadians under the age of 30 routinely engage in community and social networking activities on the Internet and have adopted these trends in their lives.

Despite popularity, the Internet doesn’t trump traditional media

News | 09/24/2008 8:39 pm EDT

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