MANILA, Philippines
– More Filipinos are using digital media for news and
information rather than listening to radio or reading newspapers and
magazines, according to a study conducted by TNS, a global research company. “TNS
Digital Life 2012″ showed that 45 percent of Filipino respondents connected
to the Internet compared to 36 percent who listened to radio, 12 percent who
read newspapers, and 4 percent magazines.
The 2012 study
showed a jump in the number of Internet users compared to 36 percent in 2011;
a decrease in radio listeners who were at 40 percent in 2011; a further
decrease in newspaper and magazine readers who were at 22 percent and 4
percent respectively in the same year. Television remains the dominant
medium of information with 89 percent in 2012, up from 77 percent in 2011,
the same study said.
The study was based
on interviews with 72,000 consumers in 60 countries
worldwide from November 2011 to January 2012. In the Philippines, TNS
interviewed 1000 respondents throughout urban areas from the ABCD
socio-economic classes.
The study also
showed that majority of Filipinos accessing the Internet were teens and
young adults, with 85 percent of Filipinos aged 16 to 20 accessing the
Internet in the past four weeks, and 74 percent of Filipinos between 21 and
24 accessing the Internet in the same period. The study also showed that
families of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the Philippines used the
Internet as the primary communication medium with 81 percent, higher
than mobile phones, 77 percent, and landline telephones, 24 percent.
Facebook is the
primary social networking site used by 90 percent of families of OFWs to keep
in contact with their relatives abroad, the study showed. The study also
showed that Filipinos accessed the Internet mostly through personal computers
either at home, 50 percent, or at Internet cafes, 49 percent. It also noted
that there were an increasing number of people accessing the Internet through
mobile Smartphone at 12 percent.
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VOCABULARY
1.
Digital (adj.) - using a system in
which information is recorded or sent out electronically in the form of
numbers, usually ones and zeros. EXAMPLE: digital computer, digital camera
2.
Respondents(n) -someone who answers
questions, especially in a survey
3.
Dominant (adj.) - more powerful,
important, or noticeable than other people or things. EXAMPLE: Unemployment will be a dominant issue at the next election.
4.
Consumers (n) - someone who buys and
uses products and services. EXAMPLE: Consumers will soon be paying higher
taxes.
5.
Majority (n) - most of the people or
things in a group. EXAMPLE: The
majority of the
employees have university degrees.
6.
Medium(n) - a way of communicating
information and news to people, such as newspapers, television etc [↪ media]. EXAMPLE: Advertising is a powerful medium.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1.
Compared to Philippines, how many people use the
Internet in your country?
2.
Discuss about the advantages and disadvantages
of the Internet.
3.
What are the social networking sites people uses
in your country?
4.
How long should we use the Internet?
5.
Talk about the effects of Internet to children
and teenagers.
