Online readers may have a harder time remembering news stories than print readers, according to a recent study from the University of Houston.
The study got two groups of university students to read the news and recall what they read. For 20 minutes, one group of 25 read a hardcopy of the New York Times, while another 20 read the newspaper's online version. Both groups were required to abstain from the news for the day until the study session, and participants weren't told that they would be tested on their recollection of what they read.
The results: although both groups read similar amounts, print readers remembered an average of 4.24 news stories, while online readers recalled an average of 3.35 stories....
A new study shows a major difference between print and online readers. Not surprisingly, online readers remember less. We can probably chalk the differences up to the glut of content online, the shorter length and scannable nature of online content and the fact that we are often multitasking or multi-screening as we read online.