Prior research has proposed that, based on their age, people relate to the contemporary digital environment in different ways. Those under 30 have been in contact with the digital world since birth and use the technology with ease. Those who are 30 and over are immigrants to this technology and adapt at a slower pace as a result.
In this thesis, the researcher studied aspects of this digital divide related to the habits of the two groups with regard to commercial media viewing and the importance of various methods to circumvent viewing of commercials when using various viewing modes.
The study group was limited to faculty, staff, and students at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. The research employed quantitative analysis of responses to Likert scale survey questions as well as review of qualitative data from open-ended questions. The research considered viewing and circumventing commercials via traditional TV; traditional TV coupled with DVR, TiVo, or similar technologies; and online methods. The research was limited to traditional commercial approaches and did not take into account emerging “pull type” or contextual methods of advertising.