Yet another article was published siting the move from traditional media to the internet.
A recent study conduct by Frank N Magid Associates gave great insight into the leisure activities across a wide range of ages.
According to those surveyed, most men prefer to spend their free time watching TV, using the internet or playing video games. Exercising and playing sports was also popular, but mostly among men over 35, the same age group where video games were not as popular, understandably.
For women, the numbers were a little different. Women tend to use the Internet more than other activities, followed by watching TV, reading and then listening to music.
What was not surprising about this survey, at least to me, was that the least popular activities among both sexes were reading print media, text messaging and talking on the phone, either mobile or home phones.
One statistic that did surprise me was that women tend to spend more time online than men. Perhaps it is because more men are employed full time and probably already spend a good deal of time on the computer at work already.
It’s no wonder print publications, for the most part, are struggling. 60 years ago, when people wanted information, they picked up the newspaper. 10 years ago, they turned on the evening news. Now, people log on and go to their favorite news sites to read the headlines.
Personally, the only reason I ever watch the new is to check the weather, but now, with my Google homepage, I can see what the weather forecast is for my hometown, my sister’s hometown in Florida and even check the weather in Costa Rica.
Here are some of the numbers:
- women 18-24 spend 26% of free time online
- women ages 35-44 spend 23% of their free time online
- women 25-34 spend 20% of their free time online (and I think this number is probably lower because this is the age group that is most likely to have small children)
- men from 18-34 years old spend about 20% of their free time online
- men 35-44 spend 21% of their time online, along with men 55-64
I share these numbers with you because these ages tend to be where most businesses’ target customers fit.
And here’s where most of these internet users do when they’re online…they go to social websites.
Twitter’s number of users is DOUBLING every 90 days and they’re estimating 50 million users by Christmas of this year.
Facebook, the granddaddy of social networking sites, has 355 million users, adding about 350,000 a DAY, with the 50+ age group growing the fastest.
YouTube, the online video giant, currently has about 75 million videos online. That number is more than CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox has COMBINED.
So, if the numbers don’t lie and your target customers are spending more and more of their free time online, are they going to find YOUR business when they’re there?
Just some food for thought…you already know how I feel on the subject. 
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