By now, there’s a predictability about online video surveys, which gets down to this: Its usage is big and growing.
A new survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, released today, doesn’t veer from the same conclusion, not even one
iota, but it has pretty different data about how people are posting video, not just watching it.
All hail, You Tube and smartphones.
Pew says the percentage of
adult Internet users who have posted or uploaded online video has more than doubled, just since 2009, to 31% (from 14% in 2009). That’s astonishing.
The largest number—27%--have
uploaded a video for others to see.
But to me, the amazing thing is that 18%--almost two out of 10 —are creators who have made their own video and posted it to a Website.
Among
younger people, that figure jumps to 41% for people aged 18-29 years old and 36% for users 30-49.
It’s not like I’m the first person to say this, or even among the first million,
probably—but creating video is way different. It’s not just watching TV. It’s not just lean- in. It’s get-going, and then it’s taking the added leap: Let the world see
it! Skin in the game!
And in fact, that’s what a lot of these creators/uploaders intended: According to Pew, 35% of adults who have posted a video online have hoped that “it
will be seen by many people.” They want to go viral. Andy Warhol would understand. Only 5% regretted they did it, a statistic that should cheer, or horrify, Anthony Weiner, depending,
perhaps, on the day of the week.
Of course, you can look at these things a million ways, but taken altogether, it would seem that posting video to the Internet is becoming so
commonplace the well-traveled view about keeping private things private isn’t being taken very seriously. For the group that creates videos to put online, “the most common subject matter
is friends and family doing everyday things” (58% ), or themselves or others doing something funny (56%) or at events (54%).
Pew says 91% of American adults own a cell phone, and 41%
have used their phones to watch video, 40% to record video and 20% to post video online.
The Pew figures, from a phone survey it did just in July, have, as indicated the
same kinds of usage figures you’ve probably seen before.
The percent of online adults who watch/ download videos is now 78%, up from 69% in 2009. That includes 72% who watch videos
on sites like Vimeo or You Tube (72%), or on social networks (56%). All told, 36% download files to their computer or cell phone so they can watch when they want.
Comedy and educational videos
are favorites, followed by how-to videos and music videos. Significantly, 50% now say they watch music videos, compared to just 32% in 2009.
Broken down by the sexes, it appears sex itself is
a male thing. Twenty-three percent of men confess to going to adult sites, compared to just 9% of women. And men (40%) are more likely to watch political videos than women (30%). The fact I
lumped those two categories into one paragraph is a coincidence.
pj@mediapost.com