The Age of Media Agnosticism

According to Nielsen, the average American visited 87 domains and 2,600 Web pages in September. Outside the U.S., those numbers tend to be smaller, and fresh data indicates that just a few sites dominate the mix. Many rely on the news to find them rather than seeking it out - and those who do hunt for news are likely to do so via a single outlet of their choosing and/or via a search engine or even YouTube. It seems that, curiously, the diversity of the sites Americans frequent remains small even though their choices have grown infinitely. 

In this essay I touch on why - faced with infinite choices, powerful search tools and equally helpful friends - Americans are adapting their habits and becoming less loyal to general sources than ever before, and why engaged companies can still find relevance in social spaces and influence their stakeholders in this Age of Media Agnosticism.

You can find the full article here (PDF) or below. For more visit, our insights web site.

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Comments

[Joe Buhler]

Excellent points made here. The effect of this behavior will be felt beyond media consumption.

[Kent]

This is a great insight!

[Kevin Broome]

I find your term Media Agnosticism an interesting one seeing as from another angle, it could be argued that we are entering an age of Media Fundamentalism whereby we are seeking out news sources that confirm the opinions that we already hold as true. Fox News tells the Right what they want to hear. The Huffington Post appeases the views of the Left. In an age of infinite channels, we are becoming more insular and narrow minded.The upshot in your article does indeed benefit the engaged company, but I am not so sure about how it serves the rest of us.

[Stephen Dickey]

"...Fox News tells the Right what they want to hear. The Huffington Post appeases the views of the Left. In an age of infinite channels, we are becoming more insular and narrow minded.." I would disagree with the insular and narrow minded statement. If anything the Internet promotes Globalization. Individually people may travel to specific sources because humans are creatures of habit. But 87 domains is a considerable amount. I'm sure they are getting news from other sources as well.

[Dara Bell]

I feel that much of this is spurred by social media making media accessible. The U.S is a very web literate nation and the proximity to the Valley and web publishing New York (growing fast) makes it. The Steven and Kevin point out to globalisation I refer you to the title of the piece. Religion is in decline and we want answers, we are going to Google for those answers or news site or maybe something self-help.

[Kevin Broome]

"insular and narrow minded" was perhaps a little strong. But as we gain more tools that allow the content that we encounter to be better curated to our own interests, we do exclude those things which do not fit within the periphery we have created. Consider the way that Facebook Connect and Open ID are heading. If we carry our profiles with us wherever we go, then every website we visit has the ability to skew their messaging and content so that it is going to be the most relevant to our particular interests and opinions. Obviously this is where marketing has the potential of becoming incredibly precise in its targeting. But it also suggests that you could go through your media existence without ever crossing paths with an opposing view. Of course, you could argue further that we do this in the analog world with the newspapers and magazines and TV that we choose to watch. Perhaps it is not all that different? Just a little more intense.

[HuangEdison]

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