Young Aussies Riding The Entertainment Superhighway

Young Aussies are more likely to view the internet as a medium for entertainment rather than a tool for information, according to Roy Morgan Research.

Roy
Morgan data shows over three quarters of 14-24 year-olds now engage
in one or more entertainment activities online in an average month.

The trend
has seen over half of 14-24 year-olds streaming video from websites such as YouTube, while over a third have downloaded or streamed music
from services like Pandora and Spotify.

Over a
quarter have downloaded games from services such as Google Play

While
most Australians aged over 14 agree the internet “is far
more an information tool than an entertainment tool”, 52 per cent
of 14-24 year-olds (up from 46 per cent three years ago) now see the
internet as a means of accessing entertainment.

Nationally,
31 per cent of Australians rate the internet’s entertainment value as
at least on par with its use as an information resource, up from 29
per cent in 2011.

Towards
the other end of the age spectrum, the 50-64 year-old age bracket are
today almost 30 per cent more likely than they were in 2011 to say the
internet “isn’t more about information than entertainment”
(totalling 22 per cent, up from 17 per cent).

“Clearly,
internet attitudes relate closely to what we most use the internet
for,” commented Tim Martin, Roy Morgan Research general manager –
media.

“Our
data shows that the older generations use the internet more for
things like searching for jobs, real estate, comparing banking and
finance products, and as a source for travel and health information.

“That
said, this research also shows that an increasing proportion of
people aged 35-64 think of the internet less as a ‘superhighway’
to get information and more as a channel for entertainment.”