The Year in Consumer Generated Content January 11, 2006 By LeeAnn Prescott Hitwise's senior research analyst takes a look at the trends that made 2005 a breakout year for citizen's media. When I stopped to look back at the leading trends in internet usage over the past year, it became obvious that 2005 was the year that consumers took control of the internet. In 2005, consumer generated content became mainstream, thanks to the proliferation of technology that changed how internet users find, share and create content. Here are five trends in consumer generated content from the last year that will have a profound impact on our internet experience in 2006 and beyond: