Social Media Dominates Online Time

A recent Nielsen study now shows that social media is now our favorite online pastime, beating out email by a wide margin. The study shows that Americans spend 23 percent of online time on social media portals, with Facebook leading the pack, compared to just 8 percent for checking emails, down from 12 percent a year ago. Though desktop email time has decreased, mobile email is rising, now at 42% and from from 37% a year ago. Also, users are spending less time on portals, such as Google and Yahoo, probably because searches on social media hubs, like Facebook, also provide direct links. Americans also spend about 36% of time online communicating, whether it be through a blog or creating some dialogue such as email or via instant messaging.