iPad is the world’s biggest distraction

Monica Bulger, the research assistant at Oxford Internet Institute spoke today during INMA’s Oxford Tablet Summit about the importance of the content, and an easiness to distract the reader.

Whenever somebody comes to the site, he is distracted and have always many other things to do. The key question for publishers will be how to keep the reader interested?

iPad of course is the new era, but certain things are not going to change. Among those are
the way we prefer to read. Those who read from left to right – will continue to do so. These who get distracted by flashy advertisemnts, will continue to do so.

Publishers must bare in mind the cognitive load rule. The content has to be meaningful. The story matters. The goal should be to make people return to the content. The way publishers organize their stories is most important to keep the reader.

The problem with reading is the distraction – when the reader gets to the last point of the read, he often does not remember where he started. It is so because of the information overload.
iPad is on one hand the world’s largest distraction – with all applications and availability to switch from one app to another, it makes harder for reader to focus.

A good example of a cognitive container is the printed newspaper.  When you read it on the bus or at home, you seldom have any distractions. Bearing that in mind, the key issue for publishers should be to prepare such application that will keep the reader off the distractions. Strong content in that case can combat the distraction (example: the infographics shown by Chiqui Esteban).

At the end of her speech, Monica Bulger quoted the US president: “With iPods and iPads and xboxes and playstations – none of which i know how to use – information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation” (Obama, May 2010)

If iPads are the savior of the newspapers, news will be the savior of the iPad – Bulger concluded

More recent stories

Digital trends for publishers – perspectives from Israel

During the Digital Innovators’ Summit in Berlin, Daniel Cohen, Partner, Gemini Fund briefly covered the Israel startup environment and some of the current trends he is seeing as it relates to new startups and innovation. Number of investments in... 

Determining and monetizing the audiences

Audience is publishers’ most valuable asset – and they want to monetize this audience yourself, rather than letting others reap the benefits. Software services and private ad exchanges can help manage and safeguard your precious data and optimize... 

Interactive advertising and marketing by Dow Jones and Serviceplan

Selling online advertising inventory at a decent rate is still a challenge. Publishers need to create attractive offerings and be pro-active in selling these. Participants of the Digital Innovators’ Summit in Berlin could listen to different industry... 

Leveraging social media in newsmedia companies

The reach and scale of social media continues to grow, but how can publishers profit from this? In this session, publishers provided insights into their strategies and approaches to social media. Dan Hickey is the SVP, Digital Engagement, Meredith, USA What... 

International digital growth strategies for Axel Springer

Growth can be pursued in a number of different ways, but one of the most challenging and lucrative ways is expanding business into other countries. Digital makes it easier to reach customers in other countries. Dr. Jens Müffelmann shared his strategies... 

Developing new revenue streams – Digital Innovators’ Summit

New Revenue Streams were the topic of one of the sessions during the Digital Innovators’ Summit in Berlin. Integrating e-commerce into magazine sites, offering commerce deals with the publisher’s brand on a white label platform, and utilizing... 

How to make content work – in Forbes, Sports Illustrated and nugg.ad

Delegates from Forbes, Sports Illustrated and nugg.ad spoke during the Digital Innovators’ Summit in Berlin about the core of the digital publishing business. Quality content remains at the heart of the digital publishing business. But how can it...