STUDY: PEOPLE WILL CONSUME 15.5 HOURS OF MEDIA A DAY IN 2015

In 2015 the average American will be consuming 15.5 hours of media per day, while the total U.S. consumption will amount to 1.7 trillion hours, according to a new study by the USC Marshal School of Business and reported today (Friday) in the USC student newspaper, the Daily Trojan. The study, led by James E. Short of the Institute for Communication Technology Management, analyzed data in more than 30 categories, including traditional media such as television and radio as well as new digital media such as tablet computers, mobile gaming devices and smartphones. To arrive at the the 15.5 hours figure [or datapoint], the study included simultaneous use of multiple devices and took into account time consumers spent waiting for data to be delivered. Short noted that media consumption in recent years has skyrocketed as more people acquire mobile devices and those devices become ever more capable. “We’re leading our communications revolution with technologies,” Short said. “The social institutions that come about follow the technology.”