Author Topic: younger adults are more likely than their elders to read the news  (Read 1671 times)

rcjordan

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younger adults are far more likely than older ones to opt for text, and most of that reading takes place on the web

Overall, more Americans prefer to watch their news (46%) than to read it (35%) or listen to it (17%), a Pew Research Center survey found earlier this year. But that varies dramatically by age. Those ages 50 and older are far more likely to prefer watching news over any other method: About half (52%) of 50- to 64-year-olds and 58% of those 65 and older would rather watch the news, while roughly three-in-ten (29% and 27%, respectively) prefer to read it. ... our research also reveals that, in the digital realm, [younger adults] often get news at equal or higher rates than older Americans, whether intentionally or not.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/10/06/younger-adults-more-likely-than-their-elders-to-prefer-reading-news/

littleman

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Re: younger adults are more likely than their elders to read the news
« Reply #1 on: August 25, 2017, 06:05:12 PM »
That's interesting and not something I would have expected 10 years ago.  The smart phone culture has actually increased the habit of reading.

aaron

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Re: younger adults are more likely than their elders to read the news
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2017, 07:16:44 AM »
The smart phone culture has actually increased the habit of reading.
Perhaps skimming more than reading. :)

And then the content gets optimized for the shallow attention.

Shorter content, bigger headlines, huge pictures & then eventually trying to outright replace the concept of text with videos because video ad CPMs are higher & consuming video requires less thought or effort.

Mackin USA

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Re: younger adults are more likely than their elders to read the news
« Reply #3 on: August 27, 2017, 11:14:13 AM »
BIG and sometimes misleading headlines  >:(
Mr. Mackin

rcjordan

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Re: younger adults are more likely than their elders to read the news
« Reply #4 on: August 27, 2017, 12:01:31 PM »
Currently, my best source of news is entirely text. No pix, no thumbnails, no ads, and no known fake news sources (over 200 300 domains or partial urls banned).

https://www.reddit.com/r/inthenews+medicine+news+science+worldnews/new/?count=26&before=

To get this stream-of-consciousness flow, I rip it with userscripts to make it just a list of linked headlines.  I don't apply any negative kw filters as this is where I get my raw reality check.  (Note, however,  that reddit or any groupware is a type of filter on a broad scale)  I'd estimate that about 200 headlines make it through my reddit feed gauntlet daily.

I don't think I could do what I do on a phone.
« Last Edit: August 27, 2017, 12:41:37 PM by rcjordan »