Nearly One-Half of Americans are Aspiring Media Moguls

According to Deloitte's 2008 State of the Media Democracy Survey, nearly one-half of all American consumers create their own online content.

Fourty-five percent of the survey respondents develop, contribute to or maintain web sites, online photo albums and blogs. This figure is up 12 percent from the 2007 survey.

Ed Moran, director of product innovation for Deloitte's Technology, Media and Telecommunications group, said, "Mass digitization has created unheralded choice and desire for American consumers. Now, more than ever, consumers have the independence to enjoy what they want, when they want it, and where they want it - but increasingly, they are also choosing to create content themselves, or re-working other people's content."

Additionally, 35 percent of the survey respondents view their cell phones as entertainment devices, a 24 percent rise from last year's survey. The findings of this survey are significant to all forms of media as they point to a trend of

This rapid increase in the personalization of media production will likely have long reaching, and potentially devastating, effects on the traditional entertainment business model-from publishing to film. With the rise of customizable virtual worlds such as Second Life and upcoming community game platforms like Raph Koster's MetaPlace, the videogame industry is bound to feel the impact as well.

More information on the State of the Media Democracy Survey can be found on Deloitte's web site. Deloitte will be releasing these, and other survey, findings at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on January 7 and 8.