According to Gartner Inc, in 2012, revenues from social media will grow to $16.9 billion from $11.8 billion in 2011.
It also states that the use of the online medium has matured and advertising will continue to be the largest contributor to overall social media revenue.
Gartner expects the total advertising for social media in 2012 to be about $8.8 billion and revenues from social gaming to continue on its growth path. The firm stated that revenues from social gaming more than doubled between 2010 and 2011 and will reach $6.2 billion in 2012.
Gartner expects emergence of new forms of media and entertainment to engage existing users on social media and net new users. According to Gartner, social media sites will continue to incorporate gaming techniques on their networks given the monetisation opportunities that gaming presents.
