MANILA, Philippines — Digital medium has overtaken radio and print, according to TNS Digital Life 2012, a study by custom research firm TNS which covered 93 percent of the world’s online population via interviews with 72,000 consumers in 60 countries, including the Philippines.

On a daily basis, 89% of the respondents watch TV, 45% go online and 36% listen to the radio.

Only 12% of the respondents read newspapers and only 4% read magazines.

Specifically, the TNS study revealed that 54% of Filipinos say they have used the Internet with usage highest among Filipinos aged 34 and below. Younger age groups had very recent online access.

A total of 85% of Filipinos aged 16 to 20 years old have accessed the Internet within the past four weeks, followed by 74% of Filipinos between the ages 21 to 24 years old. More males were also seen accessing the Internet at 58% compared to females at 52%.

“While Filipinos who belong to the upper and middle class have greater access to the Internet, the TNS Digital Life 2012 study found that the incidence of Internet usage is over 50% across urban Philippines,” explained Gary de Ocampo, managing director, TNS Philippines.

About 71% of Filipinos from the ABC socio-economic classes (SEC) and 51% from the D SEC have access to the internet.

Most online users are still accessing the Internet through personal computers at home (50%), and Internet cafés (49%), but “non-stationary” access to the Internet is steadily increasing with the advent of smartphones.

Consumers accessing the internet through their mobile phones and tablets are at 12% and 1%, respectively.

Interestingly, the online medium, alongside the mobile phone, is now the primary communication channel for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families.

A total of 81% of families who have relatives abroad communicate with them using the Internet through their personal computers, with 77% using their mobile phones to call or send SMS and MMS messages.

Only 24% of respondents continue to use landline phones to reach their family members abroad. Majority of family members were likewise found to belong to social networking sites, primarily Facebook (90%) and Twitter (6%).

“As part of the Digital Life 2012 study, TNS looked into the social media activities of Filipinos in relation to brands and shopping,” De Ocampo pointed out.

Filipino digital consumers averaged 440 friends on social networks, noticeably higher than the 171 average number of friends from last year’s findings.

Filipino teenagers between 16 to 20 years old remain at the forefront of social networking with the most number of friends (with an average of 613 friends) compared to the other age groups.