Content Still Dominates Internet Usage

CNET recently noted a study by the Online Publishers Association which shows that content – news, information and entertainment – remains preeminent among Internet usage. In the 2009 YTD statistics, content accounts for 42 percent of Internet usage – almost 66 percent more than the second highest category, communication (including email, IM and groups).

The statistics break down as follows: content – 42 percent; communication – 27 percent; commerce (e.g., Amazon) – 13 percent; community (e.g., Facebook and MySpace) – 13 percent; and search – 5 percent.

The amount of time spent per month at sites in each of the categories is also interesting (I’ve rounded the numbers): content – 7 hours; communication – 5 hours; commerce – 2.5 hours; community – 3 hours; and search – 1 hour.

Not noted in the CNET story, but also significant, is the change in usage share by these categories: community sites have experienced a continual increase in usage share each month of 2009, while the other three categories have experienced both increases and decreases in share.

What does this mean for Orthodox Christian sites? It means that, despite some claims that interest in content is rapidly losing ground to micro-blogging like Twitter, Orthodox sites that provide text and audio/video are still well-situated for a continuing impact. Even more notable, however, is the potential for community sites (such as the orthodoXCircle, of which I’m a member) which, with the growing interest in – and use of – community sites, could be positioned for significant growth in the foreseeable future.