The Ofcom annual report on the UK communication market 2014_UK_CMR 2 is a treasure trove of data
These data on the rapid growth of Tablet ownership – even among the over 55s- set me thinking about how it might change culture-rapid mass behaviour change normally makes waves
Some thoughts
Tablets-At last a device for pleasurable browsing
Smartphones are great for more functional transactions and checking Facebook- but not really for browsing. Laptops are seen by many as work tools. You wouldn’t really want to sit up in bed and browse YouTube on it. But tablets make the whole web experience more like the promise. Fast broadband means an end to irritating buffering and slow downloads at home. 4G, increasingly, delivers broadband on the move.
Multimedia online magazines- video with everything
You can see the signs of this future now. Online media brands (which may still betray their origins in print) are becoming multimedia brands for all ages. MailOnline is a good barometer of change: it has always understood that its audience is attracted by images and personalities rather than text and now most stories feature video too. Check out all their celeb stories on any given day and the team at MailOnline will lever in a video even if the relevance to the story is a tad tendentious. I reckon they fancy some of that pre-roll advertising that has done so well for Youtube (In fact Youtube call this trueview and argue that it is superior to pre roll as you choose to watch).
Youtube embraces all ages
Most videos on YouTube are still pitched at the young. But now Jamie Oliver is committed to developing his you tube channel – and he appeals to all ages from grannies to kids. If you want to know how to do something – from mending a washing machine to doing your hair in the style of Game of Thrones to making lasagna- then there is probably a video about it. Young people know this already but older people are learning fast.
Prediction:senior Zoellas soon
In just a few year mums and dads learnt to Facebook like their kids. I expect the oldsters like myself to start vlogging like their kids. Who will these mature vloggers be? The mums and dads of the new young generation of vloggers are candidates as are a whole host of well-known faces “off the telly” who are hungry for a boost to their career and profiles. Or it might be oldsters we have never heard of before – after all, 3 years ago Zoella was an unknown. Or all three.