With Americans on average now owning four digital devices and spending 60 hours a week using them to consume content, the proliferation of digital devices and platforms is bringing about a revolutionary shift in the media industry. In its “Digital Consumer Report,” Nielsen delves into this phenomenon and “how the everday lives of consumers are now intertwined with the digital world.”
Eighty-four percent of U.S. smartphone and tablet owners reported using their mobile devices as second screens while they watch TV, according 
to Nielsen. They’re using them to read about characters and plot lines, following up on ads and making online purchases, and engaging in social media. Around 1 million Americans use Twitter to share opinions about TV shows on an average day, Nielsen found.
Sixty-four percent of social media users said they log on to social networks at least once a day via their computers, while 47% of smartphone owners said the same. Mobile devices fueled a 37% year-over-year increase in social media app usage in 2013.
“It has never been a more important time to know how consumers are behaving than in today’s fast evolving digital environment. These trends in digital technology are propelling consumers’ new multi-screen, constantly connected lifestyles,” Nielsen states.
