MEDIA MYTHS & REALITIES

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What’s Behind Newspaper Readership in the U.K. By Tom Watson Brazil: The Rise of Blogs and the Facts on Mobile Media Usage By Fernando Neves Why Blogging and Consumer-Generated Media Matter Q&A with Andrew Rasiej
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	If the World Wide Web Is Maturing, What’s Next? By Jerry Swerling, Director, Strategic Public Relations Center, USC Annenberg View Bio

Just as we started to think we were getting a grip on it, there may be early signs that the Web is stabilizing as a communications channel.

If you think of the use of search engines as an indicator of Web use in general, consider this: Among U.S. consumers ages 45 and older, the use of search engines rose steadily since 2006, and among those 65 and older it increased by more than 60 percent. At the same time, search engine use has fallen among those 18 to 44, with the youngest adult consumers (ages 18 to 24) showing the biggest drop.

The numbers clearly suggest that use of search may be leveling off among younger people, who have already gone through the Web discovery phase, while it is increasing among older people, who are still in the discovery phase.

Does this mean that the online media habits of younger people have been established, relative to those of older people? If so, what does that say about the challenges communicators face in trying to establish new Web presences or develop Web strategies for different age groups?

Who’s using search isn’t the only thing that’s maturing on the Web. When it comes to social networks, 26 percent of consumers reported using them in 2008, up from 17 percent in 2006. But the very nature of a “social network” is changing even as this is written. The common meaning of the term (i.e., places like Facebook and MySpace) may actually understate the challenges and opportunities posed by the concept.

The growing use of shopping Web sites for information is one example. Here’s another one: I recently needed technical help with my TiVo. Did I contact TiVo tech support? Nope. I went to an online forum of TiVo users—a social network—and posted my question. Several very nice, knowledgeable, participants not only answered my question but also provided feedback to each other. The communication bottom line? Consumers are handling tech support and customer relations for TiVo and enhancing the TiVo user experience—at no cost to TiVo!

Social networks are no longer branded sites. They are gatherings of people who share a common interest, and they can be found just about anywhere. They’re a phenomenon, not a place.

And perhaps they are an Internet wish come true: direct, unmediated interaction with and among consumers. But we should be careful what we wish for. In a world without intermediaries, PR practitioners have a greater than ever responsibility to communicate honestly and transparently—both as effective advocates and in the public interest.

More than ever before, the reputation and future of our profession will rest as much on our values and standards as on our mastery of the strategies and tools of effective communication.

Are we up to the challenge???

Use of Search Engines