The information vacuum is the most dangerous reality for people in the modern world and almost everyone is seeking all possible ways to escape it. 

Billions of people are asking for information in non-stop mode on a daily basis. According to the main law of the market, with increased demand, supply also increases. 

Nowadays, there are 4 main sources of information, through media technology: Print media, radio, television and Internet.

According to Nielsen, Television is the main source of information in the United States. However, the survey (2017-2018) showed that from year to year, the percentage of TV viewers decreases, along with the growth of Internet consumption. The change is particularly significant for different age segment. Mostly, the percentage decrease in television consumption is significant in the 18-34 age group. In this age category, television viewing decreased by 17.2% from 2017 to 2018. There is also a downward trend in the 35-49 age group. In particular, this age group spends 6.2% less time watching TV, compared to the previous year. There is a relatively small difference in the older age groups.

Television is also mentioned as the main source of information in Georgia. According to nationally repetitive survey (2018) conducted by Georgian Research Business International (GORBI), 89% of respondents say, that they receive information by  television several times a week, 69%  name family members and friends, 64% use Internet for consuming information only 21% receive news by  print media and 10% by the radio.

Naturally, the growth of the Internet is also affecting rate of TV viewing in Georgia. Here, too, the difference is particularly significent by the  age category.The TV audience is gradually getting older. According to the survey mentioned above, 96% of respondents over the age of 45 use television several times a week to receive the news, which is only  typical for 82% of respondents aged 18-44. On another hand, 85% of people aged 18-44 use Internet for information, while only 43% of respondents over the age of 45 name Internet as a source of information. Therefore, it should be noted that in general, even though internet consumption increases, television is still the most popular platform in Georgia.

The trend of decrease in TV viewership by younger generation is also evident in the data of Tri Media Intelligence. During 2017-2019, Total TV viewership for those aged 18-44 decreased from 34% to 31% and viewers over the age of 45 grew from 53% to 56%. 

Similar difference is observed in the audience of news programs. During 2017-2019, viewing of news programs for 18-44 age group decreased from 29% to 26%, and  for those over the age of 45, the audience grew from 60% to 65%.

Based on the surveys mentioned above, we can say that television is the number one source of information both in US and Georgia. However, there is also a trend that the rate of TV viewing decreases in parallel with the growth of internet consumption, from year to year, especially in the young segment. 

Bibliography:

The State of Traditional TV: Updated With Q3 2018 Data. (2019, April 3). Retrieved from https://www.marketingcharts.com/featured-105414

Pachulia, M. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved from https://www.finchannel.com/opinion/73883-who-will-win-next-elections-television-or-internet