Media in Germany – Background

Germans are spending more and more time on the Web. Internet consumption is increasing every year and there is now hardly anything that cannot be found online. The new Web 2.0 developments offer a huge potential that many people have not yet recognised.

According to an online survey by ARD/ZDF, every adult in Germany spent an average of 58 minutes per day on the Internet in 2008. That is four minutes longer than in 2007. Consumption of television (225 minutes per day) and radio (186 minutes) remain firmly in first and second place for up-to-the-minute media, but have not registered any notable growth rates in comparison with the Internet.

The latest developments in Internet usage are particularly marked in the 14-19 and 60-79 age groups. Young people are spending more time online (120 minutes per day) than in front of the television (100 minutes) or listening to the radio (97 minutes). 92% of young people access videos and multimedia applications and watch live or recorded television programmes on the Internet. The Internet has become a supplement to conventional media and reflects the increasing individualisation of media consumption.

The older generation shows the highest growth rates, with an increase of 11%. 29% of older people now actively use the Internet. 65.8% of all adults in Germany now have an Internet connection (= 42.7 million people). Whereas almost all 14 to 29-year-olds (96%) now have access to the Internet, Internet coverage is 83% for the 30-49 age group and 66% for the 50-59 age group.

Web 2.0 – a new development?

In addition to the constant rise in Internet usage, a new development in usage patterns can be observed over the past few years. The buzzword is Web 2.0. Some people are talking about an Internet revolution; others see it more as a necessary development or adaptation to human communication needs. If you ask passers-by on the street, no one can explain properly what Web 2.0 actually is and many people have never heard the term before. If you ask the same people whether they have a Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn account, most of them will say that they have. Although the Internet is increasingly being used in different ways, the difference is not really being perceived. What has changed? What are the stages on the journey from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0?

In simplified language, Web 2.0 means nothing more than ‘participative Web’. Unlike Web 1.0, where reading was the primary online activity, users of Web 2.0 create and edit content themselves to a significant extent. Information is increasingly being actively used, and devised in a productive, creative manner, rather than purely for consumption, as was the case in the past. ‘Social software’ helps to achieve this. Social software includes Wikis, blogs, photo and video portals and social and professional online networking sites like StudiVZ and XING.

The Internet is no longer used purely as a source of information, but increasingly as a means of communication and presentation. People from all over the world, regardless of cultural background, are coming together and sharing photos, videos, stories and ideas online. The communication culture makes people equal. The Internet itself is becoming the application and is transcending national boundaries. Never before in the history of mankind has communication been so easy. In future the Internet will be everywhere – not just on the PC.

Practical benefits not yet recognised by everyone

The potential of Web 2.0 is huge. WikiCrimes, for instance, enables users to enter crimes they have experienced themselves on a map. The idea is to enable criminals to be tracked down more effectively. LinkedIn is used exclusively in the world of work. The 23 million or so members present themselves on their own profile pages, providing information about their qualifications and work experience, and network with existing and new business contacts. XING is the German alternative and is also described as ‘StudiVZ for grownups’ because, unlike LinkedIn, members do not differentiate between professional and personal contacts. These profile pages are accessed by head-hunters and meticulously imported into databases and encoded. A lot of new people have registered since the financial crisis hit. Members hope to find the perfect job through contacts of contacts. StudiVZ links millions of German students and simplifies contact between them. Students use photos and information about their personal interests to present themselves in the best light and some of them even meet partners for life through the site.

Web 2.0 as a political lobbying tool?

The possibilities for the emancipation and empowerment of civil society must not be underestimated. Blogs give users the ability to inform the global public about human rights abuses, illegal logging and similar events. Content that would not otherwise stand a chance of being published can now be accessed from all over the world. Ethnic minorities are organising themselves and presenting their concerns over the Internet, breaking through the often one-sided or unfavourable media coverage. The Internet is giving diasporas a much more effective and independent means of communication.

However, Web 2.0 also brings dangers. The vast quantities of information that are now stored in databases for all eternity could also be used to people’s disadvantage. People are becoming transparent and leaving behind traces – both intentionally and unintentionally – without thinking about the consequences. Illegal content is circulating unhindered on the Web, and criminals are increasingly making use of this new means of communication to organise themselves better. Members of terrorist organisations, for instance, have used secret signs and language to plan and carry out attacks. A comment on a music video on YouTube can be used by those in the know as a starting signal for actions of any kind.

Yet the new developments are not being exploited to the same degree by all age groups. According to the ARD/ZDF survey from 2006, only 20% of Germans regularly used Web 2.0 (12% of the total population). Among these there is a disproportionate number of male and young users (14 to 29). Formal education and financial circumstances are important factors.

The Internet is, and will continue to be, an extremely effective means of communication. The new possibilities are almost unlimited, but are currently being used productively primarily by the financial and intellectual elite. It is to be hoped that the democratisation of the Internet (in the rest of the world as well as in Germany) progresses faster than the adoption of the Internet by the elites – in the interest of all.