British web surfers say they now trust online news more than television bulletins and newspapers, ignoring the adage to never believe what you read on the internet.
A survey by Ofcom, also found that half of the UK population had created a profile on a social networking site, but added that adults were becoming more savvy about who they befriended online. The survey also showed that usage of digital television, internet and mobile phones were all increasing.
With seven in 10 people now using the Internet, booking holidays online has become just as popular as visiting a travel agent in person, while about half of all internet users have used price comparison websites to save money or research an illness using the web.
Many people still remain sceptical however, with over half of those surveyed, rating TV and radio content as “reliable and accurate”, compared with a third lending the same credence to the internet for general use.
But for the first time, the web overtook TV as the more trusted source of news. The press was deemed the least trustworthy medium, with more adults saying they thought newspapers were unbelieveable than said they believed in them.
This increase in trust may stem from an increase in the use of social networks, where people frequently share news and links, lending a personal endorsement to the story or website.
It also said that the proportion of internet users with a social networking profile had doubled since 2007, with the biggest increases among women, 25-34 year olds, and the lowest socio-economic grouping DE.
Facebook is by far the most popular, with MySpace and Bebo both seeing falls in usage, and Twitter used by just one in 10.
Two in five people visit a social network every day, with half of all internet users saying the web has increased the frequency of their contact with friends and family.
More than three-quarters of those who have an online identity allow only friends or family to see it. This marks a large increase in the number of people restricting who can see their personal information since 2007.
Interestingly, this research was carried out last year before Facebook introduced new privacy settings that default to sharing some personal information with “everyone”.
I think the recent furore caused by Facebook’s new privacy laws will result in some people moving on to another a social network. Most Facebook users were once MySpace users after all. Customers are nothing if not fickle and easily offended.