By: Ian Barr
 
Solutions Research Group (SRG) just revealed a sneak peak at some statistics from its second quarter Fast Forward survey, and it appears that social media in Canada has doubled in the last six months with women leading the charge and video becoming a more important feature in our online lives.
 
Of particular interest:

• 46% of online females reported having visited at least one social media site (up from 24% in September of last year) and a higher percentage of woman are using social media than men (50% vs. 42%)
• Over 3-million Canadians (16% of the Internet population) report having uploaded a short video to a private or a public web page
• 16% of online Canadians downloaded full-length movies in the past month (up from 11%)and 15% say they downloaded at least one episode of a TV show (up from 10%)

Among the survey findings was an increase in what SRG calls Family Casting – families using the Internet to keep in touch and share information with each other. Interestingly, Over 70% of those who post photos, stories or videos on the Internet, say the content is intended for family as well as friends.

In just six months, Canadian Internet users have been consuming and creating more content, sharing it with others and connecting in new ways. As a PR professional, how often are you thinking about that, and more importantly, are you thinking about how you can integrate these key insights into your planning on behalf of your clients?

Ian Barr is an account director with Hill & Knowlton Toronto.