A media study out of Ball State University says the average American spends 9 hours a day consuming TV, radio, cell phone time, music, and the internet.

Think about it.
9 hours.
What is that doing to us as creatures that need rest, community. relaxation and quiet time?

Most of that consumption is passive, with the exception of some form of the internet and the telephone. I’d be inclined to think that with all the voice mail and voice mail menus now, some of that telephone time is passive.

The Ball State study among 400 people over the last few months charting 5,000 hours of media use, tracked 15 different media and gadgets including television, books, magazines, cellphones, the Internet, instant messenging and e-mail.

Among the most interesting conclusions was that 30 percent of ‘media time’ is spent on one or more device, as people perhaps have on eye on the latest reality show on tv while shuffling through their email.

Another suprising find is that 18 to 24-year-olds spend less time online than any other age group except for the over 65s, giving the lie to the idea that young adults are the most computer literate.

We are consuming, but I’m far from convinced we’re communicating.
Researchers don’t know the long term advantages or disadvantages.

“What does this mean for society?” said Professor Bob Papper, co-author of a study at Ball State University in Indiana, which charted mass media use by Americans.

There has been plenty of speculation on the impact on daily life of fast expanding media. One theory for instance has it that as people become more and more connected electronically, they are becoming less and less connected personally.

Some experts question whether as consumers are swamped by information, they lose the ability to decipher fact from rumor, or find it hard to think through what they hear.

Research indicates on average we are hit with over 200 advertising messages a day - again passively from TV to billboards, to walking past a news stand. Many researchers consider that a low figure.