In a world where everyone is a content creator, publisher and editor, who do consumers most trust, and what do they expect from the content they consume? A new study from Adobe of 2,000 US consumers addresses these questions and more, revealing some surprising shifts in the content landscape:
Design & Multiscreen Content Consumption
- Consumers are embracing content across screens. They are accessing an average of 12 sources of content through an average of six different devices daily, with smartphones ranking as the most frequently used device. Eighty-eight percent of consumers report they “multiscreen,” using an average of nearly three devices simultaneously.
- As consumers’ standards rise, so does the pressure on content producers. Content must be well-designed and easy to consume or they risk losing their audience. With only 15 minutes to consume content, 66% would prefer to view something beautifully designed vs. simple and plain.
- Today’s report indicates that pressure is continuing to build, with time-constrained consumers demanding a great experience. Consumers report they’re likely to switch devices or stop viewing content altogether when:
o If the content (layout, imagery) is unattractive (73 percent)
o If the content is too long (68 percent)
o If the images won’t load (85 percent) or take too long to load (83 percent)
Authenticity of Content
- Content from family and friends trumps content from a celebrity: more than 70% of consumers trust content from a family member or friend over well-known figures such as a celebrity or YouTube star.
- Consumer skepticism is eroding traditional ideas about authenticity: more than 60% question whether a news article is biased, a photo has been altered or the author has been paid or incented to post a positive review.
- Skepticism doesn’t necessarily mean people crave accuracy: a quarter of us value entertainment over accuracy (35% of millennials) and more than a third of millennials (42%) do not fact check content they are sharing.
These are just some of the questions the research (conducted by Adobe) raised about the nature of content in today’s hyper-connected, multi-screen world. For more details of the study results check this
link. (The 24 pages of this report may take a little while to load, but the data is worth the wait.)