The first annual GlobalWebIndex report - "2011: Welcome to the Age of Social Entertainment" - publishes results from the first year of a long term research project to track consumer adoption and attitudes towards all internet platforms. The GlobalWebIndex has interviewed more than 51,000 Internet users in 18 countries across 3 waves of data in its first year, moving to 90,000 interviews in 26 countries in 2011, revealing a fast shifting internet ecosystem.

The first report explores how trends in consumer adoption in social media to "real-time" technologies combined with the rise of packaged internet platforms, such as apps, mobile platforms, consoles, tablets and television services are fuelling the consumption of traditional rich content and media online.

This massive shift is redefining the impact of social media from content creation to distribution and driving new opportunities for professional media and content producers to build sustainable business online.

"Real-time" social eclipsing blogs and forums

There are major shifts in the consumer involvement in social media, with monthly usage of social networking growing by 20% between July 2009 and September 2010, reaching 46% of global internet users. Micro-blogging, as led by Twitter, increased 21%, to 12% of global internet users. There is also a significant increase in uploading video online, rising 16%, to 25% of web users on a monthly basis.

This means that ongoing real-time contribution through status updates, tweets or link sharing is increasingly defining most people's social contribution. Already over 10% of global Internet users post a status update on a social network more than once a day, while 5% contribute a micro-blog update at least daily.

This is in stark contrast to the long form: text-based forms of social contribution that defined early social media adoption. The percentage of internet users writing a blog on a monthly basis fell by 4%, to 25% of web users, while contribution to forums or message boards fell by 11%, to 24% of web users.

Real-time is re-orientating the Internet back to mass media and professional content creators thanks to the changing impact of consumer involvement in social media. Now users focus on sharing other people's content and commenting or responding to live events instead of creating their own content. The consumer is moving from being the creator to the distributor. Consequently 'Real-time' is a massive opportunity for 'traditional' media and content producers, a fact clearly demonstrated by the individuals and organisations that dominate Twitter

Rise of "packaged Internet"

The open browser-based web is losing out to "packaged internet" platforms, such as TV, e-readers or applications. This is most clearly marked in mobile Internet usage, which has increased in just one year from 25% of Internet users to 33% using it in the last month. This is followed by mobile apps, which, as of September 2010, are accessed by 25% of Internet users, Internet via a games console at 10%, tablet/e-readers at 4%, and TV sets at 2% of global Internet users. These trends undermine the concept of the Internet as a singular entity or media and point to a future where many people's primary Internet experience will not be via a browser, but by an Internet-connected platform.

Packaged platforms are re-engineering the Internet from a browser based experience. Crucially, it provides professional media and content producers with the means to build sustainable businesses online, something the open web has failed to enable. This is as important, if not more important, for a functioning society as enabling consumers to publish and share their opinions. This commercial push will advance the delivery of the social entertainment experience.

The explosion of traditional content through internet platforms

The fastest growing motivation to use the Internet in 2010 was to "To find TV and films", which grew by 29% between July 2009 and September 2010; this was followed by "To find music" (22% growth) and "Entertainment", which grew by 13.4%. These three motivations outstripped all social media focused motivations and will continue to explode in 2011.

The result is that rich professional content is now a core part of a consumer's web experience. By September 2010, 66% of global Internet users had watched a video clip in the last month, 29% had streamed live TV, 27% had watched full length TV on demand, 25% had downloaded free TV programming, 13% had illegally downloaded TV via P2P, and 9% had paid for content. This is a concrete demonstration of how streaming, packaged platforms and the integration of social distribution have driven mass consumer consumption.

The Internet through its various forms is for many the lead entertainment platform of choice. The integration of social technologies and professional content will be the most exciting dynamic of the Internet over the next five years. Your social network or the wider consumer network will be increasingly important in defining all content and media that you consume. While consumers may not define the agenda with their content, they will increasingly dictate the patterns of consumption.

Revolutionising the concept of "the internet" and the impact of social

These trends will transform our view of the Internet. In particular, the packaged Internet will transform the way we get online, the content we consume, and the ways we can create, share and communicate. Going forward five years it is clear that many people's Internet experience will not be through a browser, but through some form of packaged platform. While many 'Internet purists' will bemoan their lack of openness, the creation of barriers to entry, and shift in control to small numbers of gatekeepers, packaged platforms crucially enable professional media to create sustainable businesses online without having to change the way that the open web works.

This is as important, if not more important, for a healthy society as enabling consumers to publish and share their opinions or content. The open browser based Internet has failed to create the economics to deliver professional media business online, as advertising could not demand the premiums needed and consumers are unwilling to pay for content delivered through a browser. These changing commercial opportunities will capitalise on the consumer demand for social entertainment online. They will however have to change the way that they create and deliver content and make sure they integrate social technologies into their product.

Increasingly 'real-time' social will be integrated with the traditional content experience. Imagine live Twitter style messaging around major TV events or programming recommended by your social network. This will extend the impact of social media outside of the browser as well as surpassing the old models of delivering media, such as cable TV, satellite, radio or newspaper.