Just about half (49%) of Internet users have engaged with user-generated content during the past month by creating their own content or reading material posted by others, according to a study by JupiterResearch.
User-generated content (UGC) is now considered a “mainstream activity” for millions of people who go online, the study concluded.
People under age 25 were found to be especially active participants. Three-quarters of users 18 to 25 are reading or writing their own content.
However, enjoying the content is not just for the young. Some 34% are age 55 or older.
“The relative youth of UGC users provides an opportunity for publishers to address consumers they have been unable to reach off-line,” said Barry Parr, an analyst at JupiterResearch, in a statement. “UGC is an important means of attracting younger users to the online sites of traditional media properties with whom they have no existing relationship.”
Active users of UGC are also using off-line media.
“Users of UGC are a population representative of the transition from traditional media to online media,” said David Schatsky, president of JupiterResearch, in a statement. “They are still heavy users of traditional media, but online media play an equally important role in their lives. Engaging the interest of UGC users is strategic to engaging the interest of the most committed online users and the advertisers who want to reach them.”
The study is titled “User-Generated Content: Strategies for Media Sites.”
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