Many of us are sharing news stories via social media.

The power social media as a tool for businesses such as parcel delivery firms has been demonstrated by a new poll.

CNN tracked the online habits of 2,300 people and how they share news stories and links.

The study found one particularly active group of web users, who accounted for 87 per cent of all the stories shared.

At just over a quarter (27 per cent) of internet users, this group dominated the use of social media in particular as a way of sharing information and knowledge.

The larger networking sites, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and MySpace, accounted for 43 per cent of the links shared.

Email came in with 30 per cent of links, SMS with 15 per cent and instant messenger at 12 per cent.

"The commerciality of the social media space is fast becoming apparent and this study means that for the first time, we are able to substantiate the value of shared news from an advertising perspective," commented Didier Mormesse, senior vice-president of ad sales research for Development and Audience Insight at CNN.

Oxford University's Future of Humanity Institute recently claimed that social media will be vital for a global society.

Posted by Rob Elliott

Article Added: 08/10/2010 09:31:48