Social networking sites overtake all other online content
UK social networking sites have overtaken all other online content in terms of traffic, according to Experian Hitwise.
The online analytics agency found that services such as Facebook and Twitter have become more popular than the likes of BBC iPlayer.
A key factor driving this growth is the increased meshing of traditional news and entertainment services, driving traffic to sites such as Twitter.
Robin Goad, Experian Hitwise's Research Director, said: “Increasingly social networks are playing host to content from entertainment sites. This doesn’t mean people are no longer visiting entertainment or content sites, but it just means they are now interacting more with the material they watch often first via a social network – after a friend has shared a link on a site like Facebook – rather than going direct to the source’s site.”
This follows Facebook’s recent announcement that it has 30m registered users in Britain, half of the total population. Mark Zuckerberg is now keen to extend that lead, believing that one day all online content will be interpreted through the social networks.