Social media represents 45% of total media consumption among IT professionals

The 2011 Toolbox.com/PJA Social Media Index: Wave VII was conducted between April 19 - 29, 2011. A total of 1,562 IT professionals from 109 countries participated. Participants were drawn directly from the IT community at Toolbox.com.

The goal of this survey was to gain insights from executives and professionals on topical issues that affect decision making. Participants shared input on their use of social media for workplace decision making, mobile technology usage and planned purchases, and the viability of online games for job training.

The results of the survey revealed:

-- Among IT professionals, social media consumption outpaced editorial and vendor content consumption. Respondents consumed social media at a rate of 6.77 hours per week, versus 4.29 for editorial content, and 4.16 for vendor content.

-- Social media represents 45% of total media consumption among IT professionals (compared to 28% for editorial and 27% for vendor content).

-- More than 64% currently own a smartphone and over 37% plan to purchase a tablet computer in the next 6 months.

-- Over 81% are motivated to participate in online communities by the desire to help peers solve problems.

Other results include:

-- Over 67% use social media to stay current and learn what their peers know.

-- eBooks with interactive features are the most preferred source for information about new products, followed by videos and self-assessment/ROI calculators.

-- IT professionals spend 3.69 hours per week accessing social media on their mobile devices, a 54% increase over 2010 consumption rates.

More information on Social Media and IT can be found at www.CRMindustry.com.