People hoping for the demise of Web 2.0 social media won't like the latest report from Universal McCann, which investigated the use of social media among 17000 participants in 29 countries. The report is the third instalment of a yearly investigation into the use of social media, and it concludes a worldwide rise in participation.
The sharpest rise can be seen in the world of video clip websites such as YouTube and Vimeo. Where the first instalment of the study (Wave 1) in 2006 found that 31% of the respondents watched video clips online, the current study, Wave 3, found 83% using the internet to watch video clips. When it comes to publishing video clips online, only 39% of the respondents claimed to have done that.
A similar pattern can be found when it comes to blogging. The number of people that started their own blog rose 14% from last year, to 45%, leading to 184 million bloggers. Just as with video clips, the number of people 'just reading' and not publishing is far higher: 77% of the respondents read blogs. People mostly read personal blogs, and 64% of bloggers blog about personal life. Blogs are turning to multimedia too, as 61% posts photos, 29% post videos, and 24% upload music. Asia "leads the way", as South Korea, Taiwan, and China lead the pack with 70%+ penetration when it comes to writing blogs.
The report also contains some other interesting figures regarding the blogging phenomenon:
56% Blogging is a good way to express yourself
36% I think more positively about companies that have blogs
33% I have a favourite blog that I read regularly
32% I trust bloggers' opinions on products and services
31% Blogging is an important way to socialise with friends
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