Social Networking Deposes Porn as Web King

Porn is no longer king online, thanks to the social-networking sites where people—particularly 18- to 24-year-olds—have become addicted to less X-rated forms of sharing, a Web analyst tells Reuters. “My theory is that young users spend so much time on social networks that they don't have time to look at adult sites,” says Bill Tancer, who studies Web clicks to take our societal pulse.

Among his findings are annual Thanksgiving spikes in anti-depression searches and greater interest in tropical storms since Katrina. Yet celebrity obsession, even in politics, has remained constant. “People want to know how tall Barack Obama is,” Tancer says. “You have to get far down in the search terms to link the search for a candidate with any issue.” (More social networking stories.)