Consumers have been streaming more movies and TV shows than a year ago (12 percent and 5 percent more, respectively), according to new research from Interpret.

Netflix has significantly increased its share of the streaming video market, up 36 percent from the first quarter of 2009. Streaming continues to be the main way for viewing content online, as downloading TV and movies has remained flat.

The amount and quality of streaming outlets may have helped to reduce piracy, as the instances of illegal downloading of movies (9 percent) and TV shows (7percent) is well below that of music (20 percent). Consumers indicate the convenience and ease of use, as well as the lack of funds to pay for content, are the main reasons for file sharing.

Usage of social networks has increased 20 percent from the first quarter of 2009. Facebook remains the leader, growing 33% over the past year. Facebook has also been a boost for casual gaming, surpassing Yahoo as the most visited gaming site among casual gamers – 28 percent in the past month have played a game on Facebook (versus 21 percent for Yahoo).

"New media behaviors such as social networking and online video consumption have true staying power," said Josh Bell, Executive Director, Interpret LLC.

"No passing fad, consumers are already weaving these activities into the fabric of their daily lives, and it is all happening extremely fast. Moreover, consumers appear to be turning to legal modes of content distribution, suggesting consumers see tangible value in the experiences video content providers are offering."

Mobile social networking has also become more popular, with a 36 percent increase in cell phone users who have updated content or posted a status updated via a mobile device. Many of these updates are though mobile apps, and Interpret found 80 percent of apps downloaded in an average week are free.