Sharita Smith
Telc 445.001
October 2, 2009
News Article Review
Social Networking Use Triples From Only a Year Ago

Everybody who is somebody is on Facebook these days. From Mothers to children, professors to doctors, pastors to activists, trends show that people of all occupations and ages are logging in to network. Many people spends countless hours a day updating statuses, posting photos, and making comments on friends’ walls and uploads. This is a trend that is “not getting old” for many people, use only seems to increase and become more and more addictive. The use of social networking sites such as Facebook has put the online advertising industry in trouble. According to data from Nielsen Research, the amount of time spent surfing social networking and blogging sites had tripled since last year, this suggests a huge change in the way the Internet is used", says Jon Gibs, VP of media and agency insights at the company's online division. As of August 2009, the time spent on social networking and blogging sites accounts for 17% of the total time spent online, a number up 6% from a year ago. This change reflects a the desire for people to stay connected with each other, communicate and share, reports Nielsen. These changes in consumers’ behavior has had a major impact on the online advertising industry. They are now spending more than ever for prominent spots on social networking sites. Ad companies have increased their spend on top social networks and blogs - up 119% from last year, according to Nielson. Facebook has been listed as advertisers' number one choice when ranked by display ad impressions. When analyzing this article, I wondered, by the year 2020, will the internet as we know it only be used for socialization with the growing trends we are seeing?
http://www.nytimes.com/external/readwriteweb/2009/09/25/25readwriteweb-social-networking-use-triples-from-only-a-y-72670.html