Forrester Report: Consumer-Generated Video Uploads Takes Off -- Consumer Trust of Peers Trumps Media and Marketers

We all know that consumer-generated video has been surging -- and that's thanks in large measure to the legions of folks who upload all sorts of things from backyard stunts to televisions clips. 

The number of viewers of clips far out outnumbers the people who upload them.   

But, the number of uploaders is increasing dramatically, according to a report published today by Forrester Research's Brian Haven: "Leveraging User Generated Content" (this is a paid report -- this is a link is to an abstract). 

The report finds that seven percent of the online consumers in North America are uploading videos at least once a month. The report is based on an online Forrester survey undertaken last fall of 5000 people in the U.S. and Canada who use the Web regularly.   

Trust in Peers Trumps Professional Authorities

The report also finds that consumers are placing a greater degree of trust on friends and acquaintances in evaluating information on goods and services than from professional sources including mainstream media and corporate marketing materials.  According to the survey, consumers trust friends and/or acquaintances with a trust rating of 83 percent while they value the the editor's review of a content site by just 49 percent. 

I spoke with Brian Haven earlier today about the trust factor and why "acquaintances" are so trustworthy.  He says that acquaintances often means people who meet online and that the survey results reflect the power of social and peer communities. 

-- Andy Plesser

Forrester Research, Brian Haven, User Generated Content, Online Video