Assessing the displacement effects of the Internet

This study examines the “medium-centric” and “user-centric” approaches in investigating the displacement effects of the Internet. Results from a random sample survey support the “medium-centric” approach in displacement effect. The use of the Internet does displace traditional media use of television, newspapers, and radio. The Internet performs a substitutive rather than supplementary function. More important, the use of absolute time measures may lead one to draw the reverse conclusion, and the use of relative proportions of time based on people’s total media time budget allows one to better examine the displacement effects of new media.