Internet Radio: A Quickly Growing Trend

I have to say I was surprised by a recent American Media Services study on Internet radio, in which 67% of repondents indicated they've listened to a radio station online. This is up from the 36% who listened just one year ago.

And then I thought, "why am I surprised?" In fact, internet radio seems to be one of those services that even the technology wary have embraced. Take, for example, my husband, who just got a cell phone in the last year (and only at my insistence). He really isn't a fan of most technology: he couldn't IM to save his life, he's never played a video game, and, when I asked him if he ever reads this blog he said "why would I read your blog for your opinions when I can just talk to you?" Ha! We'll see if he's reading now.

Yet despite all this he LOVES internet radio. See, there's this station in the town where he went to school, all the way across the country -- he obviously can't listen to it over the air here. He doesn't want to subscribe to a satellite service just for this one station. So, he listens online.

That's right -- the guy that thinks this "engagism" stuff is a bunch of hooey is using the internet to purposefully engage in the activities that mean the most to him. He's an engagist and he doesn't even know it!

Just wait until he figures out how to load music on to his iPod (my hand-me-down, of course). Then we'll all be in trouble.