According to a Nielsen study released last week, social media and online games are now more popular than email.

The study found that Americans spend nearly a quarter (23 percent) of their time online posting comments, pictures and videos on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, making it the most popular online activity among Americans.

Nielsen found online gaming is the second most popular online activity, accounting for ten percent of online use, while e-mail ranks third at a little over eight percent.

As a 23 year old working at a social media marketing firm, I’m not surprised by these findings, but I’m sure many people are! Hopefully, these findings are a wake up call to corporations that are reluctant to get involved with social media. There is so much opportunity for businesses in every industry to connect with target audiences on social networking and online gaming sites as well as through email campaigns. Knowing who your audience is and from which outlets in particular members are consuming information, is the most important starting point. This is knowledge is key to building an effective and integrated social media strategy.

What do you think? Are these findings a wake-up call for businesses?