Hayley Tsukayama, October 1, 2012, "Ad-Supported Internet Makes Big Contribution to U.S. Economy, IAB Report Says," The Washington Post Post Tech Blog.
From the article: "The Interactive Advertising Bureau
released new figures Monday showing that advertising supported Internet
companies contributed $530 billion to the economy in 2011 and are, in some
way, responsible for 5.2 million U.S. jobs.
The IAB-commissioned report from Harvard Business School, which updated a
similar 2009 report, found Internet-based companies in every congressional
district in the United States. About 2 million people are directly
employed by Internet ad-supported firms, the report said.
An additional 3.1 million jobs, including those in Internet advertising
and digital advertising analysis, would not exist without the sector." Read more