午夜剧场

I have conducted empirical research on consumer behavior using behavioral data, such as internet browsing and in-store purchasing behavior. My recent interest lies in people's media usage behavior. This is because I have always loved TV dramas and previously worked for a company that primarily handled media data. Until a decade or so ago, terrestrial television programs were the mainstream for video content. However, in recent years, the methods for viewing video content have diversified to include catch-up TV (such as TVer) distributed online after broadcasting, video streaming services like Netflix, and video-sharing services like YouTube, in addition to traditional television programs.

A recent study I conducted examined changes in media usage by the same individuals due to COVID-19 and the associated stay-at-home requests. Looking back at media usage in 2020, during the spring of 2020 when the state of emergency was declared (the so-called first wave), the total viewing time for terrestrial television increased significantly compared to the previous year. In particular, viewership for "News," "Education/Culture," and "Variety Shows" increased. Additionally, the use of the internet and apps also grew significantly during the same period. It is thought that people with extra time due to staying at home began using television and the internet more than ever. However, what is interesting is that despite the pandemic continuing through the second and third waves from the summer of 2020 onward, media usage gradually decreased and returned to almost the same level as the previous year by the latter half of the year. This is likely because many people adapted to the "new normal" and shifted back toward their daily routines as the pandemic lasted longer than expected.

While changes in media usage during the COVID-19 pandemic can be considered a special case, as mentioned above, media and video content are diversifying every year, and people's usage behavior is changing accordingly. However, it is difficult to continuously obtain behavioral data for the same individuals regarding their viewing of terrestrial TV programs, catch-up TV, and video streaming services, and there is still little research that analyzes these in an integrated manner. In the future, I hope to flexibly develop my research content to respond to this diversification and change in media usage behavior.