Which
social media platforms are favored by the youth of America? According a 2015 Internet Trends Report
released by USA Today, of 12 to 24-year-olds, 74% are on Facebook. 59% are on Instagram and 57% are on
Snapchat. Just 32% are on Twitter and
30% use Vine. Google+ is used by 26% and
20% use Pinterest. 15% are on WhatsApp.
Just
20 years ago, says the report, 30 million worldwide users were online. Now it’s 2.8 billion people. In that corresponding time, 1.25% of the
world used a mobile phone. Now, 73% or
5.2 billion use one.
However,
the number of global Internet users is increasing at a declining rate. In 2012,
an increase of 11% in users took place.
Then 10% two years ago, and now 8% last year.
The
biggest trend is the increase in mobile.
The number of hours spent with devices has greatly increased in a short
period of time. In just six years, from
2008 to 2014, the number of hours spent by adult Americans on tech devices
doubled to 5.3 hours per day. Now, in
fairness, the types of devices and their capabilities has greatly changed. In that time period, iPads came out and
smartphones took over. They not only
give us email and games or social media, but they give us eBooks and streaming
video. I would expect the usage to still
increase. Mobile went from 20 minutes a
day in 2008 to 160 minutes in 2014 – an eight-fold increase. Desktop/laptop usage increased by a little
over 10% but declined about 8% from 2011.
So
this study tells us what we already know – we’re tethered to our devices and
dependent on them for everything. We
don’t shop, socialize, or entertain without a device nearby.
What does this mean for books?
What does this mean for books?
Print
books are endangered to just by Amazon or eBooks but by the fact people look to
everything being online. How do you pull
someone away from the busy world found in the palm of your hand to quietly read
a good old paper book?
While attending the annual book trade show, Book Expo America, there were a number of exhibitors parading their latest software that turns a paper children’s book into an animated digital book with sound and movement. Once we get our youngest kids weaned on digital books there will be little hope of introducing paper later.
We
need more studies showing exactly how people spend time with their
devices. What are they viewing, reading
or surfing exactly? How much time is
spent reading books, digital or paper?
For
the next decade the trend is clear.
We’ll add more people to the list of device users, mostly those from the
lower economic strata and seniors – and all users will gradually increase their
level of usage in terms of time.
I’m
also certain, given the immigration policies and patterns, Spanish online will
grow. The digital world makes it easier
to find things in other languages, so rather than forcing people to learn
English – which they should – you’ll see more non-English usage online.
Additionally,
the Internet will see greater growth overseas, in communist nations with
limited use, such as China and Cuba, or in poor, tech-deficient areas like
Africa.
However,
in 15-20 years, there’ll be no more growth.
We’ll max out on who has a device and how much time is spent
online. The Internet Big Bang will cease
to forever expand but by the thinnest of margins. What will happen then? Will anyone be reading books in 2032?
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T-Shirt
Brian Feinblum’s views,
opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his
employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him
at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the
third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2015
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