Earlier today, Mashable.com posted a stats-heavy article regarding news consumption by Americans based on findings from a recent Pew Internet research study.  The numbers from this article back up claims and predictions from analysts saying the internet is still becoming more of a player in the news consumption game.  While still trailing television consumption (78% of those polled), primary online news consumption came it at 61% – well above that of radio and newspaper.  I actually found 61% to seem a bit low for the nature of this report.

Perhaps the more interesting information we can extract from this article is the fact that consumers are beginning to demand very personalized news.  Of those who claimed the internet was their #1 news source, 75% said they get that news either forwarded via email or through a social network.  As those of us who are heavy in this space know, social media sets up as a perfect vehicle for news customization.  We follow those who provide us with news relevant to our interests and industries on Twitter; we are friends with local and niche news publications on Facebook; we Digg articles based on news we want at that exact moment; we forward links to news articles to our friends and coworkers on very specific subjects.  The availability of news customization has never been higher.  As internet users, we are becoming more skilled at consuming news on topics and in places that we choose.

We’re interested to learn where our readers consume the most news.  Feel free to let us know in the comments below!

Tags: News Consumption, Social network, Television