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Survey: 48% of Parents Believe the Internet is a Good Contribution to Their Children’s Lives

 A new online survey conducted by the website ParentPort reveals that, of those parents surveyed whose children watch films at home, 40% had allowed their children to watch a film classified above their age.

 

 The survey of 1,800 respondents from the UK’s two largest online parenting communities –Mumsnet and Netmums – reveals the challenges and pressures parents face when it comes to keeping the media their children see age-appropriate.

Of those parents surveyed whose children play video games, a quarter (25%) had allowed their children to play games classified above their age.

Furthermore, 16% of parents surveyed said they had bought their children a device or gadget – such as a games console or MP3 player – which they themselves did not fully understand how to use.

Parental supervision

However, the parents surveyed did not just give into their children’s appetite for the media – many also closely supervise what their children see and use.

In fact, 82% of the parents surveyed claimed they always know what films and television programmes their children watch, and 77% said they always or usually know what websites their children visit.

Meanwhile, the survey also uncovers parents’ boundaries when it comes to media, with one in eight of the parents surveyed reporting concern that Christmas presents their child had received were inappropriate for their age.

Some reported being worried their youngsters would have unsupervised access to the internet through smartphones and laptops given as gifts. Others cited well-meaning friends and family overstepping the mark – with examples of pre-teens unwrapping presents of 18-rated video games, and under-tens receiving 12-rated DVDs.

Overall, the parents surveyed recognised the contribution the media makes to their children’s lives. Over half (52%) of the parents surveyed thought films and DVDs generally played a positive role in their children’s lives. Forty-nine per cent cited television as also having a positive effect, and 48% believed the internet also made a good contribution to their children’s lives. (via)

Trend Watch: Welcome to Social Entertainment

 

Three trends are having a key impact in how consumers are using the internet: the rise of the 'packaged internet', with access through apps rather than browsers; an explosion of professional content and real-time social all contributing to what GlobalWebIndex founder Tom Smith sees as the rise of the social entertainment age.

 According to Smith, 'The open browser-based internet has failed to create the economics to deliver professional media business online, as advertising could not demand the premiums needed and consumers are unwilling to pay for content delivered through a browser.'

GlobalWebIndex's free report analyses the current situation and considers the implications for professional media, content producers and brands.

Welcome to Social Entertainment - Annual Report 2011

View more presentations from Tom Smith

Real-time social

The report identifies that a shift is currently taking place from blogs and forums to real-time sharing such as status updates and tweets, with 10% of internet users around the world updating their status daily. 'This radically changes the impact of social media, primarily creating an ongoing shared agenda and conversation towards reacting or interacting with live events and discourse.'

The rise of the packaged-internet

Mobile apps, tablets, e-readers, internet-connected TVs and gaming / video platforms are all contributing to the deterioration of the internet as a single entity. Mobile, in particular, has contributed to social entertainment, with over 17% of people surveyed having watched TV in the last month via their mobile, and 26% had watched an on-demand video via mobile phone.

Professional content explosion

The fastest growing motivations for using the internet identified by the survey were 'finding TV / films', 'finding music' and 'entertainment'. The survey also found that the prime motivation for 16-24 year olds to engage with brands is to entertain them (66%). GlobalWebIndex interprets this as a 'clear indication of the need for brands to adopt the position of content creator'. (via)

Related Links

• Gen Y, Social TV and Multiplatform Media Consumption
• Study Reveals Shift as Social Networks Become "Social Entertainment
• MTV Turns To Twitter And Facebook To Power New Flagship Show
• eGuides TV Web Extensions
• Bravo Virtual Season Finale Party a Big Hit with Viewers
• Report: Gen Y Wants TV to Get More Social
• I Want My Twitter TV?

Ryan Seacrest Makes First-Ever Radio Partnership With GetGlue

via www.hollywoodreporter.com

American Idol host and cross-platform entertainment producer, Ryan Seacrest​, has moved into uncharted territory with his new deal with social media company, GetGlue.

The deal will allow fans of his radio show, On Air with Ryan Seacrest, the ability to check in to the show on the GetGlue social network. This is the first time radio listeners will be able to do so on the network.

When listeners check in, they’ll receive exclusive stickers. The more one checks in, the higher in the rankings they’ll get. For example, one starts as a listener, but can earn the title of correspondent, producer and then co-host the more one checks in while listening to the show.

Related: Gen Y, Social TV and Multiplatform Media Consumption

Infographic: Top 10 TV Shows on GetGlue in 2011

Trend Watch: Ryan Seacrest on the Future of Television and Entertainment

In an interview this month with Fortune Magazine Ryan Seacrest talks about what he considers the exciting future of entertainment. 

”We’re seeing platform, technology, and content all converging, and it’s happening quickly,” he says. “It’s exciting to me.

There’s an appetite for more original content than ever, and I have a company that creates content, whether it’s distributed in short form, reality form, live form, or game form.”

However, what stories might television viewers expect to see from the Emmy-award winning Jaime Oliver and record-breaking Kardashian’s producer?

However, what stories might television viewers expect to see from the Emmy-award winning Jaime Oliver 'Food Revolution' and record-breaking Kardashian’s producer?

Ryan reveals he desires: “to continue to produce shows that directly effect change. We’ve gone too long without addressing issues like child obesity, so to be able to tell those stories and help people through television is a powerful thing.”

You can read the entire piece in the January 2012 issue of Fortune Magazine.

RyanSeacrest.com Spring 2012 Internships

RyanSeacrest.com is looking for Spring 2012 interns with strong writing/blogging skills and an innate obsession with pop culture, specifically as it relates to social media.

The search is on for early adopters, trendsetters, and young minds with an unwavering curiosity for what’s new, next and noteworthy.

Duties include (but are not limited to) website content management, video content development, blog writing, celebrity guest research and social network maintenance.

Photoshop skills and video shooting and editing experience are plusses. All candidates MUST have Twitter and Facebook accounts with an understanding of how both platforms operate and interact with popular culture.

If you think this is you, click here for more information and to submit an application. Good luck!

How Reality TV Impacts Tween and Teen Girls

A national survey of 1,100 girls conducted by the Girl Scout Research Institute, Real to Me: Girls and Reality TV, found that tween and teen girls who regularly view reality TV accept and expect a higher level of drama, aggression, and bullying in their own lives, and measure their worth primarily by their physical appearance.

The authors of the report found that only 53% of 11- to 13-year-old and 8% of 14- to 17-year-old girls say that their parents regularly monitor what they watch.

Despite parental limitations and concerns, most girls watch reality TV, and almost half watch it regularly. Fully 41% of girls say their parents don’t approve of them watching reality TV but 71% do it anyway.

As the report points out, there are many positive lessons for girls to learn from these shows, but it requires parents to sit down with their tweens and teens look for teachable moments.

Among the findings:

• 68 percent of girls agree that reality shows "make me think I can achieve anything in life"
• 48 percent that they "help me realize there are people out there like me."
• Seventy-five percent of girls say that reality TV depicts people with different backgrounds and beliefs.

Girls and Reality TV Factsheet

The Girl Scout Institute has put together a great reality TV handout for parents to help them get the conversation started. And it wouldn't hurt to have your son's involved in the conversation as well.

The big take away here is that parents need to be more involved and aware of the media--TV, web and social--that their kids (both girls and boys) are consuming on a daily basis. Our culture is saturated with media and it's up to parents, now more than ever, to be monitor message embeded in the content their kids are consuming.

Reality TV Tip Sheet for Parents

Research conducted by the Girl Scout Research Institute, Real to Me: Girls and Reality TV, found that tween and teen girls who regularly view reality TV accept and expect a higher level of drama, aggression, and bullying in their own lives, and measure their worth primarily by their physical appearance.

The big take away here is that parents need to be more involved and aware of the media--TV, web and social--that their kids (both girls and boys) are consuming on a daily basis.

The Girl Scout Institute has put together a great handout for parents to help them get the conversation started. And it wouldn't hurt to have your son's involved in the conversation as well.

Real to Me: Reality TV Tip Sheet for Parents

Is YouTube the New Cable TV?

A little over a year ago Google, with much fanfare, launched Google TV. Unfortunately, things didn't quite pan out as well as Google or its partners (Sony, Logitech and Intel) had hoped.

Even an infusion of pop culture icon Kevin Bacon couldn't rescue Google TV.

However, big changes are underway at the Googleplex that Google hopes will change the fortunes of of the struggling service.

Google TV, Take Two

According to an article in Business Insider, the first big change to the service is that "Google TV will present all content in one interface regardless of source -- when you look for comedy shows or movies, for instance, you get your cable shows, Netflix rentals, and (critically) YouTube videos all arranged next to one another." 

This move is part of Google’s plans to transform YouTube into more of a “leanback” experience, make TV more social and challenge the dominance of traditional broadcast and cable television providers.

YouTube, The New Cable TV

In addition, Google announced that YouTube would partner with dozens of content creators to bring quality original programming to the platform. 

Demonstrating the wide range of channels that will be rolling out over the next several months, the well-known names participating as creators include Madonna, Jay-Z, Amy Poehler, Rainn Wilson, Shaquille O’Neal, Sofia Vergara, Tony Hawk and Ashton Kutcher.

To aid YouTube viewers with discovery, the channels will be grouped into topic categories such as pop culture, sports, music, health and fitness, animals, and domestic design, as well as categories organized by demographics like age range and ethnic identity.

That's my two cents. So what do you think? Is this new and improved YouTube content experience a threat to cable TV?

Trend Watch: YouTube Beats out Facebook as Top Youth Social Media Brand

A new Harris poll says that YouTube is the top social media brand among America's youth.

The video site beat Facebook as Social Media Brand of the Year in the 13- to 24-year-old age range, according to the 2012 Harris Poll Youth EquiTrend study.

In terms of YouTube’s popularity, other studies have shown that more than 2 billion videos are played every day on the vide-sharing site and that YouTube mobile receives more than 100 million views daily.

The study sought to benchmark the brands that America’s youth prefers by evaluating familiarity, quality, and purchase consideration. More than 5,000 Americans, ages eight to 24, took part in the study. [Via PR Daily]

Related: YouTube Pictures Teachers and Students Using More Video in the Classroom

Trend Watch: When Television Meets Tablet Computers [VIDEO]

What will happen when television meets tablet computers?

SuomiTV and Nordkapp have explored the future of television and created a concept to illustrate the direction where we expect TV watching to evolve in the near future.

Pretty cool stuff.

 

(Sorta) Related: Facebook Now Outranks Television in the UK [Infographic]

Infographic: Boomers, Gen X, Millennials & iGen Media Consumption

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

via MBAOnline.com | View Large

Warner Brothers Teams Up with Facebook to Launch Social TV Series 'Aim High'

An upcoming Warner Brothers series about a high-school spy, played by Twilight star Jackson Rathbone, will pull fans into the show through a clever Facebook integration that allows viewers to have their Facebook profile information, pictures and music incorporated in the show.

"Aim High," will debut on October 18 on Facebook and will run for six episodes.

Gimmick? Or brilliant? What do you think?

Related: USA's 'Psych' Social TV Campaign Scores With Fans

The Ryan Seacrest Foundation Launches 'The Voice' in Pediatric Hospitals in Atlanta and Philadelphia

Ryan Seacrest, known in Hollywood circles as the busiest (and nicest) man in showbiz and host of American Idol, has launched the Ryan Seacrest Foundation (RSF).

The mission of the Ryan Seacrest Foundation (RSF) is to enhance the quality of life for seriously ill and injured children through unique programs that utilize multimedia and interactive platforms to enlighten, entertain and educate.

RSF’s first initiative is to build broadcast media centers, named THE VOICE, within pediatric hospitals for children to explore the creative realms of radio, television and new media as well as contribute positively to the healing process.

 

The Voice media centers have already opened in Atlanta and Philadelphia, with plans to eventually build up to 10 of the broadcast centers at pediatric hospitals around the country.

    

In addition, RSF will also reach out to the community and involve students from local journalism schools, colleges and universities to provide them with the opportunity to gain first hand experience in broadcasting, programming and operating a multimedia center.

There's lots of research in the educational media space on how the use of multimedia, social and digital technologies allows young people see themselves as an active participant, in the pilot's seat or director's chair, as they chart new connections between diverse and often unpredictable worlds of knowledge.

This is especially important for children who are critically ill. They spend so much time in the hospital letting doctors, nurses and other medical techs deciding what and when they do just about anything.

To be critically ill means giving up control. A lot of control. 'The Voice' project is important because it's the only part of a child's stay in the hospital where they--not the doctors or nurses--are in control.

They get to decide what song to play. They get to decide what button to push. Most importantly, it's a part of their day that doesn't revolve around heavy life threatening decisions, medicines, needles or any of the hard work of being a patient.

It's just fun. And that's the best medicine of all.

Connect with the Seacrest Foundation on Twitter and Facebook

Infographic: How to Focus in the Age of Distraction

View Large | via www.mindmapart.com

News out today that, according to one study, SpongeBob and other fast paced kids TV may cause young children to have problems focusing and may dampen their budding brain function.

While there are some flaws with the study, there's no doubt in the age of Tweets, Pokes, Tumblr, Google +ing and YouTube, it's harder than ever to focus on just one thing. That's where this handy flow chart comes in.

According to the creator, this infographic will help you managing your (head) space, clear distractions and help you do one thing at a time. Now turn off Sponge Bob and take time to reflect and review.

Ohm. Ohm. Ohm. And oh---stop picking on SpongeBob!