According to a new Internet and Multimedia 2007 report by Edison Media Research, the internet has passed radio to become Americans' second "most essential" medium and is quickly closing in on television since the subjects were last studied five years ago.
The study surveyed consumers ages 12 and older to choose the "most essential" medium in their life, the report revealed 36 percent of consumers chose TV, followed closely by 33 percent choosing the Internet, while radio and newspapers sat at the bottom of the list with 17 and 10 percent respectively.
"It is not a stretch to say that the Internet has become just as important as television as a primary source of information and entertainment in the lives of Americans," said Larry Rosin, President, Edison Media Research. "It is entirely possible that the Internet will lead in all positive categories five years from now."
Compared to a similar study five years ago, TV led the Internet by a wide margin, 39 to 22 percent, whereas radio netted a 26 percent "most essential" response in the 2002 study. Radio is still the leader when it comes to learning about new music with 48 percent; however, the internet may soon take over that category as well since 25 percent of the respondents favored it, up from 9 percent in 2002.