The news is in: social networking is more popular than porn on the internet.
With the rise of sites like Facebook, web surfers are defining communication and online interaction in a whole new way, according to Bill Tancer, author of the new book “Click: What Millions of People are Doing Online and Why It Matters“. His analysis of over 10 million web users reveals shifts in web behavior and why people go online. One key finding is the drop in popularity of porn sites, particularly among the 18 to 24 year old users.
In a Reuters news piece on this topic, Tancer says, “My theory is that young users spend so much time on social networks that they don’t have time to look at adult sites.”
In addition to the porn stats, Tancer’s book also outlines other topic trends surfers are clicking on, such as:
Tropical storms (spike in this trend after Katrina)
Spike in searches for anti-depression around Thanksgiving holiday time
Prom dresses
Diets
Holiday related info
Celebrity obsession out-pulling religion, politics, well-being, and diet combined
Image based data for Presidential candidates (like “How tall is Barack Obama?”)
Because so much web content is generated by users, issues arise as to how accurate the information is. From YouTube videos to slandering blog posts, how much weight can we put on what we’re finding online?
Tancer says, “With the explosion of this type of false information on the Internet I think we will see someone come forward and develop a new type of software that can filter for the most accurate information,” he said.
“Maybe accuracy is the next thing we will all search for.”
About Nancy Marmolejo
