A study from Adobe examines how consumers feel about content from different sources, and how technical challenges can reduce engagement.

As participation in networks increases, so too does the content on offer, both in the form of user-generated and branded content marketing. Devices have also caused increases in content viewing.

Nine out of 10 of the 2,008 consumers surveyed said they multiscreen. 40 percent reported feeling distracted while using multiple screens, as do 47 percent of millennials. This content overload has led to increased selectiveness from consumers, and the content market gets more competitive as a result.

Seventy-three percent of consumers said that content “must display well on the device” and there are several common traits that turn users away including:

• images that won’t load
• content that takes too long to load
• content being too long
• unattractive content

Up to 46 percent of consumers switch devices when any of these things happen, but more importantly up to 39 percent just stop engaging at that point.

Creating knowledgeable and trustworthy content is certainly important, but there are many other factors that influence sharing behavior. On average 25 percent of consumers share information based on how entertaining it is, rather than accuracy. 35 percent of Millennials believe entertainment is more important, compared to just 10 percent of Baby Boomers.

However, consumers are interested in accuracy overall. 61 percent of respondents question the potential bias of news content, 60 percent question whether or not ad photos have been doctored, and 57 percent wonder if negative reviews or comments have been removed. Most respondents trusted photos and videos from peers.

To see how attitudes towards content differ across generations, and to see how attitudes towards content have changed over the last five years, view the study here (PDF).

This article was originally posted on Adweek...