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BIMA Member News: Research shows that the public is calling for the return of ‘Expert-generated content’

The survey of 1,000 consumers in the UK showed that, while one in five people now contribute to, or create a blog, most people do not trust the content of their peers. When asked which sources of information they trusted, less than 1% cited UGC such as blogs and forum postings.

The research shows that whilst UGC is still incredibly popular, people are viewing much of it with a healthy dose of cynicism.

The desire for ‘Expert-generated content’ can be seen through the information sources users cited as trustworthy. The BBC remains the UK’s most reliable source of information, with 58% of people having faith in Auntie to provide accurate news. Even commercial television channels, such as Sky and ITV, are considered trust-worthy by 15% of the public. Wikipedia – one of the most popular reference sites on the web – is only trusted by 2% of the people surveyed, and recently had to remove swathes of content found to be written by prejudiced individuals.

While 62% of people use the internet to access news, the research found that users gravitate to established publishers above anyone else. Mike Altendorf, CEO of Conchango says: “User-generated content has dominated the discussion of media in recent times. While we are seeing a backlash, there is still a place for it in moderation. It is important for media owners and brands to establish how they will keep viewers and readers involved without compromising their own reputations. UGC has its place in the form of feedback and dedicated forums, however users want to be sure that their ‘news’ is coming from someone that has done their due-diligence and knows their topic.”

Tom Savigar, Trends Director of The Future Laboratory says: “Consumers are realising that UGC is helpful and relevant, especially in times of crisis or for finding out consumer information; but for news and entertainment they are turning back to the work of professionals. Web 2.0 brought the feeling that anyone can do anything online, but thousands of blogs remain unread and thousands of YouTube videos remain unwatched. Some established blogs will remain powerful, but these blogs are more like websites in terms of useful info and are usually the work of journalists or people with access to insider information.”


The findings are taken from the New Media Landscapes survey conducted by The Future Laboratory on behalf of Conchango. One thousand consumers took part in the research in May 2007. The full report can be obtained by contacting lorraine.branch@conchango.com

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