It seems that digital media has become embedded in Australians lives, as one in every five minutes of online activity Down Under is taken up by social networking, according to a new report out today.ComScore has released a report which shows the State of the Internet in Australia and highlights the growing importance of Online in Australia, not just for networking, but also for online retailing.
According to its report, ComScore found that social networking accounts for the largest amount of time spent online, at 22%, with Facebook grabbing the most attention.
And the trend looks set to continue.
“2010 was dynamic year for the digital media industry in Australia,” said Will Hodgman, ComScore executive vice president for the Asia Pacific region.
“Consumers are turning to the Internet with increasing frequency for a vast array of activities including entertainment, commerce, news & information and communication.”
The amount of networking time online rose by 5.3 percent compared with the previous year. Where last year Microsoft sites led as the most-visited property in Australia followed by Google sites, this year Facebook took the top spot followed by Microsoft and Google sites.
In terms of search, Google accounted for 80 percent of searches in December with nearly 12 million Australians conducting an online search query.
Portals accounted for 19.7 percent, down nearly 10 percentage points from the previous year and Instant Messengers accounted for 11.6 percent of time, down 7.7 percentage points, as both categories lost share to Social Networking throughout the year.
Digital entertainment increased by 2 percent to 11.1 percent.
However, online retailing is making the most gains, and is said to be outpacing increases in the global average.
Amazon and Apple led as the most-visited retail destinations, with group-buying sites gaining traction. In the past year, Cudo, an MSN property, notched up 418,000 unique visitors in December 2010 and currently leads the space.
Online video viewing is also on the rise with 3 out of 4 online users in Australia watching online video in December 2010, with an average viewer watching more than 7 hours of video during the month.
Hodgman said 2011 will be another year of continued innovation and increased competition as brands vie for consumers’ attention in this rapidly fragmenting digital environment.
