Marketers and publishers have yet another variable to consider as academic research suggests that genes may play a significant role in how people engage with online media alongside environmental factors.
A study of online media use in 8,500 teenage twins, published in the journal PLOS ONE, compared identical twins (who share 100% of their genes) and non-identical twins (who share 50%) in order to estimate the relative contribution of genes and environment on individual differences in engagement with a range of online media, including games for entertainment and education, as well as time spent on chat rooms, instant messaging platforms and Facebook.