Online Video Soars, Despite Steve Jobs

All those keyboard-playing kitties have a lot to answer for.

Humorous videos have overtaken all other categories as the most watched online according to a new Pew Research Center study, “rising in viewership from 31% of adult Internet users in 2007 to 50% of adult internet users.”

Equally significant, “seven in ten adult internet users (69%) have used the internet to watch or download video. That represents 52% of all adults in the United States.” It’s amazing any work gets done at all.

The Wall Street Journal predicts this linkage of video and the Internet will boost the adoption of Web TV, such as Google’s new software that melds the two on your television screen.

One notable detractor: Apple's Steve Jobs, who says he won’t push Apple TV too aggressively as it's just a “hobby.”

Pew's Kristen Purcell, who wrote the report, comments: “We are seeing a surge in online video watching that is driven by a combination of broadband access, the increasing use of social networking sites, and the popularity of video-sharing sites. To tap into these trends, untold numbers of websites now showcase online video as part of their content.” 

Where does all that humorous content come from? Not surprisingly, home video is the hands down winner for most popular, with 62% of users sharing and uploading their personal content. Facebook and YouTube get the lion’s share of that segment, with 52% and 49% respectively.

Comedy and humor have surpassed news with half of those responding having watched, up from 31% in 2007. News was second with 43% of adults saying they watched, up from 37% in the earlier survey.

The Pew Survey of 750+ Internet users doesn’t articulate the reasons for the shifts in category popularity, but it’s a reasonable deduction that the proliferation of sites available and overall increase in digital use are key. High-speed connectivity and better-quality content are also factors.

Only 5% of Internet users in the Pew survey reported watching online video on their TV.