60 percent of Americans plan to spend more time on the open internet in the coming year

Americans plan to spend a lot more time on the open internet in the coming year.

An April study by The Trade Desk Intelligence found that 60 percent of U.S. adults plan to increase their use of channels ranging from news sites to streaming TV platforms. The survey asked whether respondents expect to spend more time on 11 different online platforms, and on the open internet, online blogs and news dominated the results.

Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they expect to spend more time on personal-interest sites and entertainment magazines, followed by online newsletters (66 percent), and online news sites and magazines (61 percent).

Walled gardens featuring user-generated content like YouTube and social media ranked the lowest in expected increased usage, at 50 percent and 47 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, gaming is likely to surge across the internet. Platforms where people can livestream games — a category dominated by Amazon’s Twitch — topped the charts, with 70 percent of respondents saying they expect to spend more time there.

Smaller gaming platforms, like Kick and DLive, are emerging on the open internet. And 55 percent of respondents say they plan to play more online mobile games, which the study defines as part of the open internet.

The study also indicated that people are more engaged on open internet channels when compared with passive, scrolling content experiences. Respondents were asked whether they were “focused on this activity” when spending time on each platform. Social media and YouTube ranked at the bottom, with 30 percent and 29 percent of respondents reporting feeling focused, respectively. Open internet channels saw a higher average of focus (39 percent) than walled gardens (32 percent), according to the survey.

The survey, conducted by The Trade Desk Intelligence in April 2023, asked a total of 2,002 U.S. adults about their online habits and experiences. The sample was representative across key demographics like age, gender, and income.

The Current is owned and operated by The Trade Desk Inc.