Searching, but Not Online

People seeking to discover new forms of culture – like music, books, and films – tend not to turn to the web, but rely first and foremost on their friends and family to expose them, according to a recent study. While they do use the internet, the report finds, it is usually to follow up on cultural information received by other sources, such as the people close them or more traditional forms of media.

The study, performed by the University of Toronto’s, Barry Wellman, a sociologist, and Jennifer Kayahara, a doctoral student there, shows that people generally do not have enough leisure time to spend searching for culture online – unless, of course, it proves more efficient than other means.

One study subject, identified as Carter, 24, said he uses it for certain purposes. "[I'll go online if] I need to look for a schedule for a movie, or if I need to see information about where I’m going like festivals or concerts—things like that. That’s faster."

Indeed, using the web to find out about local cultural events proved very common.

But the unlimited amount of information available online makes finding something as vague as new music too daunting for most people in the study, which was performed in the East York neighborhood of Toronto.

"[W]ith the Internet, I also find it’s almost too much; it’s just very hard to filter it," says Kate, 41, another study participant.

Also, while some people would go to a music store, for example, and just browse, nobody in the study mentioned using services such as Amazon’s recommendations.

But there is a glimmer of hope for blogs like this: The vast majority of subjects with passionate interests or hobbies uses to the web for whatever it is they are dedicated to.