According to a recent survey of 1,143 Web users, about 10 percent of U.S. adults under 35 have downloaded a TV show and, when you look at between the ages of 18and 25, the number goes up to 14 percent. This is in comparison to only 5 percent of the overall population.
I hope this doesn’t really come as a shocker you all. I don’t know about you, but when I was younger than 35 and especially when I was younger than 25, I had a lot more free time on my hands and probably would have downloaded TV programs, too, if I had had the opportunity.
I think there is a dangerous trend toward thinking in ageist terms about new media. Yes, the younger you are, the more pliable and open you may be to new forms of technology. Also, your desire to be “hip†or “in the know†changes as you mature. However, I wonder if anyone has ever really looked at the effect that different time constraints and demands on different age groups has on the adoption of new technologies.
When you’re in your 30s, 40s and possibly 50s, you’re more likely to have all sorts of things competing for your time: children, spouses, work, friends, jobs on the side, etc. Younger than that and some of those demands are less common. Older than that and some of those demands taper off.
I could be way off on this. What are your thoughts?