Mobile device viewing behaviors of college students An investigation of how the use of mobile devices modifies television program viewing behaviors of college students

Throughout the history of mobile media devices, an evolution of portable devices like the transistor radio, Walkman, CD player, and the MP3 player has changed the way users consume programming. Studies have been done about the effects of these new technologies on the way Americans consume media programming. With the development of Apple's iPod touch, consumers became able to watch televised programming on wireless web-enabled devices. This study focuses on how the use of mobile devices modify television viewing behaviors of college students.;To conduct the study, 560 students at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania were asked to complete a 26-question survey inquiring about their mobile device viewing behaviors, in order to determine their reasoning behind using mobile devices to watch television programming, and their preferred viewing method.;At least 63 percent of the respondents reported using a mobile device to watch television programming, 51 percent of the respondents use laptop computers, and 37 percent use a number of other devices, including the iPod, iPod Touch, MP3 player, Kindle, and Nook. Students have an increased flexibility in scheduling causing their viewing behaviors to shift from the previous year, when most of the primarily freshman sample had not yet entered college. The overall use of college students using mobile devices to consume television programming is consistent with previous studies.;This study reveals that even though college students have more flexibility in their scheduling, access to video-on-demand, and a wide assortment of web-enabled mobile devices, they still prefer watching television programming on a traditional television set.