TORONTO – A survey sponsored by Motorola Canada says the shift to a third screen is on and the nation’s young ’uns are leading the charge.
Canadian youth are the drivers behind the relative shift in time spent interacting with the three screens, which include the television (first screen), personal computer (second screen) and mobile phone (third screen).
The ‘Third Screen’ survey conducted by Research Strategy Group for Motorola Canada Limited revealed a net change over the past two to three years.
While television continues to lose ‘screen time’ (net change minus-22%) amongst Canadian youth, time spent interacting with mobile phones has increased (net change +33%) over the same time period.
The Third Screen survey was designed to better understand the use and underlying attitudes that teens and young adults (15-34 years of age) have towards each of the three screens. The television was the first screen adopted en masse by society, says the report (which overlooks the real first screen, the movie theatre) followed by the personal computer and, in recent years, the mobile phone. Those polled viewed the mobile phone as the ‘most or second most important’ of the three screens (45%).
“The results clearly indicate that a shift has started, in which the mobile phone is gaining viewership from the other main screens, and could be faster than the shift between the first and second screens,” says the release,
This trend can be primarily attributed to the Third Screen Trailblazers – young adults who spend eight hours per day, on average, with the three screens and nearly one quarter (23%) of this time using their mobile phone. They represent 20% of mobile phone users and account for 68% share of time that teens and young adults spend with the third screen.
"When you compare the mobile generation (15-25 year olds) to those who grew up with television as their primary source for news, entertainment and socializing, there is a noticeable generational effect that shows an increasing amount of time spent by youth with their mobile phones," said Janet Lazaris, principal, Research Strategy Group.
"We see a core segment of Third Screen Trailblazers who are leading the push behind this generational gap. As users get more familiar with mobile technology and the technology continues to improve the user experience, the mobile phone’s share of screen time should continue to increase."
More than half of Third Screen Trailblazers (56%) listed their mobile as their only or primary phone and virtually all (92%) claim to have it with them most of the time.
In order to maximize its full potential, says the survey, the mobile phone needs to offer more personal computer-type capabilities and features while retaining its portability.
They also need longer battery lives and brighter screens.
While those polled may not currently be using or have access to certain features on their mobile phone, Canadian youth are excited and interested in the potential for the third screen. For example:
* While 8% are currently downloading and listening to music on their mobile phones, more than half of those polled (55%) find this feature appealing
* While 19% are sending and receiving email with their mobile, 67% are interested in doing so
* Nearly one quarter (22%) are currently capturing, downloading and sharing photos on their mobile phone, but 68% say it’s an intriguing feature to have on a mobile device
* 14% are accessing news, weather and sports information while more than half (56%) are interested in this function
* 7% are recording and sharing video clips but almost half polled (44%) find it appealing.
"More than the other two screens in our lives, the mobile phone is an immersive experience machine and youth get it," says Derrick de Kerckhove, director of the McLuhan Program in Culture & Technology and University of Toronto professor.
"Those heavy users in particular, boys and girls 15-20 years of age, are the first to have been born with it. They take for granted that they will soon be watching TV in short bursts of two minutes, from their third screen." He adds, "The TV ‘mobisode’ is addressed to the ‘Google generation’, people who don’t digest information, but surf, click and sample it, on demand. They are the hyperkids who can get the whole picture from a minimal fragment, a tiny screen, the third screen."
Most mobisodes, however, have been long-form ads, so far.
www.Motorola.com
