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Social Networks Beat Porn in Search

2009 August 20

If you are still wondering whether or not Social Media is here to stay, just consider that a year ago in a study conducted by Bill Tancer,  general manager of global research at Hitwise, Social Networking  displaced pornography as the #1 internet destination.

Tancer, in his book “Click: What Millions of People are Doing Online and Why It Matters”, analyzed millions of web searches and found that those searches didn’t just reflect what was happening online but gave a wider picture of society and people’s behavior.

In an interview with Reuters, Tancer said,

“the change in communication patterns was one of the most noticeable shifts in society in the past five years — a key point for marketers seeking to learn about their audiences.”

In that same interview, Tancer went on to say,

“As social networking traffic has increased, visits to porn sites have decreased.  My theory is that young users spend so much time on social networks that they don’t have time to look at adult sites.”

Startling isn’t it?  Young people are spending so much time on Social Network sites that they have no time for porn.  And if they have no time for porn, they probably have even less time to watch, read or listen to traditional media.

Consider these facts in relation to Tancer’s study:

  1. By 2010 Gen Y will outnumber Baby Boomers and that 96% of them have joined a social network (2007 study).
  2. 90% of consumers trust peer recommendations
  3. Only 14% trust advertisements
  4. 90% of people that can TiVo ads do

If you want your company to flourish in this new interconnected world, your brand needs  to start acting more like Dale Carnegie or Zig Zigler and less like “Mad Men”.  We need to learn to listen first, then provide information and sell quietly.  Companies need to start weaning themselves of traditional advertising and work diligently at offering content, the proper content, for each touch point of the sales process.

Which brings us to the final question of the day.  Is your company evolving?

Sony is!

Click below to see why Sony is helping to promote the Social Media Addicts Association:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uaVqIDMr3s]

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