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Social Networking Now Takes Up Three Times the Time

by Terrence O'Brien on September 26, 2009 at 02:18 PM

Time Spent on Social Networking Sites Triples
According to Nielsen, the company that also provides TV rating information, reported that in August of 2009, 17-percent of all time online was spent on social networking sites. In August of 2008, that percentage was only at 6, meaning that in just one year, the amount of time spent on Facebook, Twitter, and the like has tripled.

According to Jon Gibs, a VP at Nielsen's online division, this represents a "wholesale change in the way the Internet is used." While the change might sound drastic, it's certainly not surprising. In a few short years, social networking has gone from a fringe trend powered by tech-savvy youngsters to a mainstream phenomena embraced by everyone and their mom (literally).

Of course, the money has followed the traffic. In the last year, advertisers have increased their spending on advertisements on networking sites two-fold. In August of 2009, roughly $108 million was splurged on social site ads -- up from $49 million in 2008.

While social networking is on the rise, it's clear the vast majority of linked-in time is still spent reading partisan political screeds and watching the latest "keyboard cat" video. [From: Nielsen]

Tags: facebook, social networking, SocialNetworking, top, trends, twitter

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