Video is becoming more and more important to U.S. Internet users, with the use of video-sharing sites like YouTube and Vimeo up 5% compared with last year, according to a new study.
The study, from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life project, revealed that video-sharing site usage has risen to 71% of online Americans (up from 66% last year) equally split across gender lines. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the sites tend to be frequented by younger viewers, with 92% of users aged 18-29 using them, compared with 54% of ages 50-64 and only 31% of users aged 65 and above. Hispanic users are more likely to use the sites than African American or Caucasian users (81% versus 76% and 69%, respectively), and those based in urban areas are more likely than those in suburbia or rural areas (72% versus 71% and 68%, respectively).
Interestingly, the study found that increased use of these sites coincides with increases in site content, and suggests that the rise in watching videos online is connected to a rise in making videos: “Some 34% of the cell phone owners in the country have shot video with their phone; 26% have watched video on their phone; and 22% have posted videos or photos online,” says the report.
Perhaps that’s what Hulu’s been needing all along: More user-created content.
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Graeme McMillan is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @Graemem or on Facebook at Facebook/Graeme.McMillan. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.