According to experts, young people are ditching the TV remote control and instead opting for online entertainment that is more social and interactive.
Are You Living an Insta-lie? Social Media vs. Reality
Users under the age of 18 are turning away from streaming services in favor of social media and gaming, according to a new study from Deloitte. Nearly half of U.S. respondents say they watch more user-generated content than they did six months ago, and half say they always spend more time on it than they planned.
“The appeal of social media and gaming is clear; it’s where their friends are, and it’s how they communicate,” Mike Metzler, a senior digital marketing manager at Conviva, which monitors streaming media, told Lifewire in an email interview. “You have a whole generation of kids now who don’t communicate via text; they use Snapchat. Those same kids see hanging out virtually and playing Fortnite together [as] the same thing as hanging out in person.”
A Deloitte study found that streaming services are struggling to attract and retain subscribers who have become savvier about pursuing the content they want and managing the costs they pay. This is especially true among younger generations who have grown up with smartphones, social media and video games and prefer entertainment experiences that are more social and interactive.
