A new Deloitte & Touche study offers insight into what many of us in the social media space already know: people don’t just consume media, they increasingly create and share their own:

Rise of the Personal Broadcaster

• 32% of consumers actually consider themselves to be a “broadcaster” of their own media
• 45% are creating personal content for others to see (up 11 points from our 1st edition)
• 54% are increasingly making their OWN entertainment (up 14 points from our 1st edition)
• 69% of consumers are watching/listening to content created by others (up 17 points from our 1st edition)

As consumers are increasingly in control of the media they consume- what, how, and when- communications strategies within social media must reflect the fact that consumers do not want to be influenced or sold to. They want to be engaged, and they want to be engaged authentically.

For brands, this data reflects an increasing need for greater intelligence on what is (or is not) being broadcast about them in the social mediasphere. Tracking and monitoring social media has become essential to brand strategy online; Collective Intellect, among others, provides in-depth analysis of topics across all social media. While tracking is important, the other critical part of the equation is executing against that intelligence in a meaningful, non-controlling way. Sometimes your best social media strategy is not coming up with the best, most virally-hyped idea, but rather its tapping into the wealth of insight that consumers so freely offer online. There is huge opportunity in social media to tap into consumer opinion, and in turn, improve your overall marketing, communication, and product development strategies– you just have to shut up and listen.