All channels open

Original title: Alle kanalen staan open.

The rapid changes taking place in the media landscape in the Netherlands - characterised by digitisation and convergence of media technologies - raise the question of how the Dutch are dealing with the many new opportunities that have opened up. All channels open (Alle kanalen staan open) provides answers to questions of how the Dutch have changed the way they use media, search for information and communicate with each other in recent years. These changes are described by dividing people into 'leaders', 'followers' and 'laggards'. The study explores the extent to which these different groups read printed media and watch/listen to audiovisual media via the Internet and mobile hardware.

Leaders attach great importance to technological innovations. They are curious about new technologies and are often well-informed about the latest developments. They are found to have a much wider interest in innovations than only those taking place in the media. Followers, and particularly laggards, are much more reserved in their response to new technologies. Not only do they acquire new media later, they also have a relatively long learning curve and tend to stick more firmly to familiar patterns of media use. Promoting media wisdom and sensible regulation of the present transitional phase are the biggest tasks for media policy in the coming years.