Universal McCann has released a new report (Wave 3) describing what Richard MacManus (ReadWriteWeb) has termed "the impact of social media (such as blogs, social networks, online video) on the media landscape."

I prefer to call it the "umpteenth reason why educators need to Pay Attention report", but that's neither here nor there. See for yourself what I mean (from the report, italics added by me):

Social media - and blogs in particular - are becoming a more important part of global media consumption for internet users than some traditional media channels.

In South Korea - the market that's leading the world in digital trends - 77% of internet users read blogs each week compared to just 58% reading the mainstream press.

Globally, 73% of internet users are reading blogs

If 73% of internet users worldwide are reading blogs, then clearly a large percentage of our students are reading them too. What are we doing as educators to channel the use of such technologies - for our students' amelioration and for our instructional sanity?


The March 2008 survey of 17,000 global internet users is, according to Universal McCann, "the most detailed survey of the Social Media revolution." In spite of the bias that such a claim emits, I still think these figures are something that educators everywhere should consider:

• 83% of internet users watch video clips, up from 62% in the last study in June 2007
• 78% of internet users read blogs, up from 66%
• 57% of internet users are now members of a social network
• 70% of internet users in China write a blog, 66% in the Philippines and 60% in Mexico
  

Saving the best (for China, at least) for last:

• China is the world's largest blogging market with 42 million bloggers - versus 26 million in the United States.

Original Image Source - Flickr user Mel B.

Technorati Tags: blogosphere didyouknow... payattention education technology