What Moderation Means In A Media Saturated Environment

Last week I responded to the media chatter around the KFF study “Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds and the eyebrow-raising finding that kids and teens were consuming a significant amount more recreational media content than five years ago. Naturally our message to educators, parents and anyone with an interest in young people was to quiet the addict speak, be mindful of moderation and accentuate the positive. Today I’m shifting gears a bit.

After spending some time digesting the stats, especially those around “media multasking” and cross-platform media, I wanted to address another variable in this high volume equation:  the upward trend in convergence (TV everywhere, mobile content, handheld devices that connect to social networks, etc) that brings all forms of media to all forms of devices.  As I touched on in my previous post, it’s a development that certainly does have positive potential in the edu/entertainment realm allowing brands to create opportunities for creative collaboration and interactivity. But during times where teens have previously not been infiltrated with every flavor of media —car rides, walks to school—or previously may have been fully focused on one and now are only partially tuned in, the saturation raises some concern. Not only for the serious safety hazards of distracted driving or distracted walking we’ve increasingly reported here, but also for the joy of unfiltered reality. The loss of uninterrupted interactions with family and friends, time alone with one’s thoughts, or just devoting your full attention to one form of media (a good television show) versus three.

This doesn’t mean we need to get rid of all these convergent toys and tools, but just remember that it’s important to also champion the low tech (a phone-free car ride for passengers and drivers) or lesser tech (no laptops in front of the TV) option, in order to make room for both. The challenge here, of course, is broadcasting that message loud enough and persuasively enough so that industries (like toy and auto) who get involved in a media arms race and kids, who do want to stay connected, up-to-date all the time, both remember that it’s cool to occasionally unplug.