Traditional Media are a thing of past?

55% of Americans Think Traditional Media Will Disappear in 10 Years - 24/7 and Harris Interactive.

More than 60% Americans still prefer to read newspapers BUT 50% of them say they get their news online. It appears as though Americans are still consuming as much news as they had in the past, but they are migrating online to get it. This push media coupled with social networking sites are really taking over the traditional media.

The survey reveals more detailed data about where Americans are getting their news, and age is a big factor. Unsurprisingly, more youth (18-34) are getting their news online than older (55+) respondents: 65% of the younger respondents get nearly all of their news online, while only 33% of older respondents do the same.

So what does all of this mean for traditional media?

It appears as though Americans are happy to embrace new technologies that make news consumption easier.

The 24 hour news cycle is much easier to tap into online - it just takes a few clicks to get to a news aggregation service or your favorite news blog. Traditional media has more hurdles: people have to walk to the store, wait for their morning paper delivery, or tune into their favorite news channel at a specific time. The internet reduces time and space barriers to news.

What does this shift mean to your business?

More than 80% of search for product or service begins on search engine. It clearly suggests that your customers are looking for your products and services and even your reputation online.

Few Observations:

• The average social network user   is 37 years old
• Facebook has 500 Millions active users, 50% of them log on in any given day
• Average user has 130 Facebook friends
• Fastest growing age group on Facebook is 60 years and older