According to Hitwise (an Experian data company) celebrity gossip has taken the Internet by storm and they have they numbers to prove it. Traffic to celebrity gossip sites like PerezHilton.com has skyrocketed, increasing its share of visits by a shocking 621%!! Celebrity scandals involving the likes of Britney Spears and Anna Nicole Smith have likely contributed to this increase. That and the fact that people have unsupervised access to the Internet while at work!
Implications - I'm still not sure what I find more intriguing -- the rapid growth of Internet gossip blogs, or the fact that a large data company has devoted so much time to gossip tracking.
Internet Gossip Explosion
Record Numbers Tracked By Hitwise
Trend Themes
1. Celebrity Gossip Explosion - Sites like PerezHilton.com have seen increases in traffic by 621% as celebrity scandals continue to dominate the conversation.
2. Data Analytics for Gossip Tracking - Experian's Hitwise is already showcasing the power of analytics in tracking online gossip trends.
3. Internet Access at Workplace - The increase in gossip site visits shows the impact of unsupervised access to the internet at work.
Industry Implications
1. Media and Publishing - The media and publishing industry can leverage the increase in gossip interest to increase readership and viewership.
2. Digital Analytics - Digital analytics firms now have an opportunity to target celebrity gossip sites to help them better understand their audience and optimize their content.
3. Tech and Software - Companies that specialize in internet filtering can leverage the increase in gossip-related visits to promote the need for their technology in corporate settings.