Americans will consume 15.5 hours of media in 2015, amounting to 74 gigabytes everyday!
In a recent study conducted by the USC Marshall School of Business, this excessive exposure to media was validated when the projection for the consumption of media in 2015 would rise to 1.7 trillion. This translates to 15 hours of media consumption in a day.
In explaining why this media exposure has risen as well as the types of media that has contributed to this increase in consumption, lead researcher James Short, said, “Despite the popular belief that the ubiquitous computer and smartphone dominate modern media life, traditional media, including TV, radio and voice calls, still account for two-thirds of total U.S. household media time. Of course the picture is a changing one as digital platforms continue to grow, but they are still only a third of total annual media time.”
What this means in terms of bytes that any individual consumes is about 8.5 zettabytes of media in 2015, and which in turn, means 74 gigabytes everyday.
In fact, the American Academy for Pediatrics, in making similar findings, have also sought to spread awareness of this growing consumption of media among teenagers and children while also emphasizing the risks that this behavior poses, both from negative influences as well as their health.
It is still difficult to ascertain definite links between media consumptions and the risks yet a study conducted by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine has found a link between the affinity to TV fast food advertising by children who are obese.
The lead author believes that understanding the media’s influence can help in controlling children’s obesity.