Nielsen
released a study last week during ad:tech in San Francisco that tracked
the interests of the average online user from 2003 to today. Quite a
difference!

Video
and social networking sites are the two fastest growing categories in
2009. The stats are a little skewed since online video was not as
prevalent in 2003 as it is today, so when you read things like "the
number of American users frequenting online video destinations has
climbed 339% since 2003," it's sort of like saying "airplane travel is
up 100% since a similar period in 1809. Uh, yeah, I guess so,
seeing as how the airplane had not yet been invented.

Nevertheless,
the findings are still valid and paint a picture of what's to come for
marketers, advertisers and PR people. Here's the line that stuck with
me: "In the age of Twitter, feedback barriers have all but disappeared,
creating a near friction-free environment for playing back brand
experience, campaign reactions or brand events. Recent public cases
involving Motrin, Amazon and Domino's show that marketers must be quick and savvy to react to these unprecedented channels of instant feedback."

Read more and download the report here.