Social Networking Grows, Content Creation Doesn't

Social networking continued to grow over the past year, but content creation did not, Forrester Research says.

The number of people who joined social networks increased by 11 percent in Europe, 18 percent in metro China, and 11 percent in Australia. By comparison, North America saw slightly less growth, with only an 8 percent increase.

On the other hand, between 2009 and 2010, no markets exhibited growth in the number of people who create social content.

"A lack of growth in social creation translates into a lack of fresh ideas, content, and perspectives," says Forrester Research Consumer Insights Analyst Jacqueline Anderson. "For example, one third of online consumers in the US regularly watch user-generated videos on sites like YouTube.

But, only 10 percent of US online consumers upload videos they've created to public sites. The traits required to create social content are unique, and at this moment, the consumer market interested in these behaviors has plateaued, Anderson says.

Forrester Research