I originally wanted to do today's Fact Box on online dating and relationships, but quickly grew tired of the old statistics available and the amount of dodgy websites I had to look at. To quote one: “ignore the statistics, 200 hundred ugly women are still ugly”. Special guy that one.

I instead decided to take a look at the bigger picture and checked out some information on online media consumption and its changing habits. I found two excellent resources which are worth reading through for more information if you're interested.

So on that note, enjoy the statistics.

From The State of the News Media 2008 - Audience

• The Web is becoming a more integral part of people’s lives. Eight in 10 Americans 17 and older now say the Internet is a critical source of information — up from 66% in 2006.
• According to the same survey, more Americans identified the Internet as a more important source of information than television (68%), radio (63%) and newspapers (63%).
• Over all, 75% of adult Americans use the Internet, according to data from the Pew Internet & American Life Project gathered from October 24 to December 2, 2007. That number is up from the 70% during the same time in 2006.
• According to the USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future, Americans 17 and older said they spent 15.3 hours a week online in 2007, up by more than an hour per week over 2006.
• In a November 2007 Harris Poll, Americans reported spending 11 hours per week online, up from nine the previous year, and eight hours in 2005.
• In the October to December survey, respondents were asked how often they went online. 37% answered that they went online yesterday for news, up from the 30% who did so at the same time in 2005 and the 26% who did so in 2002. This is the highest number recorded by the Pew Internet project.
• According to a 2007 study from the Online Publishers Association, 44% of online video users say they watch them on at least a weekly basis — up from 24% a year ago, while
• 8% report watching video online daily, up from 5% a year ago.
• For some advertisers, the uncertainty of gauging Web traffic may be behind a slowdown in the growth rate of online advertising — from 36% in 2006 to 26% in 2007.

The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press - Key News Audiences August 2008

• The 2008 biennial news consumption survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press was conducted by telephone - including both landline phones and cell phones - from April 30 to June 1 among 3,612 adults nationwide.
• It finds four distinct segments in today's news audience: Integrators, who comprise 23% of the public; the less populous Net-Newsers (13%); Traditionalists - the oldest (median age: 52) and largest news segment (46% of the public); and the Disengaged (14%) who stand out for their low levels of interest in the news and news consumption.
• Net-Newsers are the youngest of the news user segments (median age: 35). They are affluent and even better educated than the News Integrators: More than eight-in-ten have at least attended college.
• Nearly twice as many regularly watch news clips on the internet as regularly watch nightly network news broadcasts (30% vs. 18%).
• Fewer than half (47%) watch television news on a typical day.
• Twice as many read an online newspaper than a printed newspaper on a typical day (17% vs. 8%), while 10% read both.