• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, December 28, 2007

More over big media. Nearly one-in-three consumers now consider themselves media "broadcasters," according to results of Deloitte's second "State of the Media Democracy" survey. In particular, new generations are increasingly offering their own brand of media, as 46% of Millennials and 38% of Xers claim to be producing a mix of video, photos, and music.

Consumer generated media, meanwhile, is growing rapidly and is increasingly competing with professional fare. More than two-thirds (69%) of consumer now make CGM part of their media diet, up from just 52% when Deloitte released its 2006 "State of Media" survey results last year.

Fielded by independent research firm the Harrison Group in late October, this latest online survey included 2,081 U.S. media consumers between the ages of 13 and 75.

Why the growing demand for CGM? According to Deloitte's analysts, there's no definitive reason, though almost 25% of highly influential Xers report finding it more entertaining than traditional media.

Overall, 27% of people said they are drawn to CGM because it features friends and family. Also, 19% said it comes highly recommended.

Millennials were found to be the least active as far as Internet surfing, visiting fewer Web sites per week than any other generation. While, Xers visit more Web sites per week than any other generation of consumer.

Overall, search engine result ads are thought to provide the greatest amount of targeting and relevance, even more than ads that a consumer has chosen to interact with.

Two-thirds of respondents agreed with the statement, "I would willingly be exposed to more online advertisements if it meant I could receive free content that I found valuable." Another two-thirds said they "would click on more Internet ads if they were more targeted to my needs."

From Millennials all the way to retirees, all consumer groups still rate TV advertising as the most impactful, while online advertising is now in a virtual tie for the second spot with magazine advertising.

What's more, when buying media or entertainment equipment, TV ads still rate as the most influential medium overall, while Xers are more drawn to Internet resources.

Millennials and Xers indicated a greater willingness to pay for ad-free online content than older consumer groups. Millennials, perhaps with fewer financial obligations, were 10% more willing to pay for ad-free content than Boomers--42% compared to 32%.

Survey respondents said the greatest drivers of traffic to Web sites were word-of-mouth recommendations and Web search engines--virtually tied at 89% and 88%. Coming in third, 81% of respondents said an ad on TV was responsible for their trip to a particular site.