This year has been no exception, as Hitwise breaks down the numbers. According to the analytics firm, Facebook saw record traffic this Christmas, with 1 in every 22 websites visited in the UK going to the social network. Overall, that made the site the second most popular online destination in the UK during the holiday, behind only Google.
Not surprisingly, watching videos also seems to have a strong correlation with having nothing better to do. YouTube was the 3rd most popular site in the UK for Christmas week, beating out Windows Live Hotmail. In all, Hitwise says that social networks accounted for 10% of web traffic during the period.
Thus, expect to see a big jump in growth when the numbers for top social networking sites are released next month. We’ll also likely see the ever-narrowing gap between Facebook and MySpace close even further in the US, as Facebook’s college-heavy audience enjoys more leisure time in front of their computers.
Meanwhile, if you’re lucky enough to still be on holiday, perhaps step away from the Web for a moment. Or, don’t :)