Adult Usage of Social Media Quadruples over Last Four Years
March 6, 2009
ShareThisStudy Indicates Social Media Still Not Adopted for Business Purposes
A recent study released by Pew Internet reports that usage of social networking Web sites by adults has increased more than four times since February 2005. Today 35 percent of adult Internet users have used a social networking site, as compared to 8 percent back in 2005.
Adult users, like their teen counterparts, are using social media primarily for personal reasons, rather than business. Most adults use these sites primarily to connect with friends. Nearly nine in ten social network users say they use the networks to stay in touch with friends, and 57 percent say they use it to make plans with friends. As with teens, the bulk of these friend connections made by adults are with people they already know; less than half use the sites to make new friends. Less than one third of social network users say they use these sites for professional purposes.
This trend is further demonstrated by the specific sites being used by adults. Half of adult social network users are on MySpace, while 22 percent of adult social network users have an account on Facebook. In comparison, only 6 percent have an account on LinkedIn, the social site dedicated to professional networking.
There seems to be variation in the types of people who use each of the top three social networks as well. Typically, MySpace users are women, Hispanic or black; have a high school education or some experience with college and are a median age of 27 years old. Facebook users are predominantly men with college degrees at a median age of 26. LinkedIn users are more likely to be men, with college degrees and are, on average, 40 years old.
For the full report download the pdf: http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Adult_social_networking_data_memo_FINAL.pdf