Do you find it a little embarrassing that your mom and dad are now your Facebook "friends?" Or are you afraid of what your son or daughter will post next on the number one social networking website in the world? Don't expect those residual feelings to change anytime soon: a new research study shows that the age of Facebook users is getting progressively older. But don't worry kids - you can still escape your parents' constant espionage by signing on to Twitter.
The comScore 2009 U.S. Digital Year in Review report, released in February, has some very interesting insights on how Americans are using social networking sites. And, more importantly, who is using what. According to the report, both Facebook and Twitter found their growth exploding in 2009, with both sites having triple-digit growth numbers throughout the year. And the hits don't stop there - for Americans, social media websites (like Twitter) were viewed at least once by 80% of the respondents of the survey in December of 2009, and now accounts for 11% of all web activity.
So who is using what? The report shows that over half of Facebook's activity is defined by a much older audience: those between 24-49. Of that group, the older segment (those 35-49) are the most active majority on Facebook, claiming 31.6%. Go to Twitter, however, and everything is the opposite way around: those under 24 and up to 34 claim the majority of use. In that group, the 24-and-under crowd are the major users(44.4%), followed by the 25-34 demographic (22.7%).
What does this mean for Columbus? One of two things can be derived for Columbus as to our Twitter use, and they are not mutually exclusive. In March, Twitter Grader's list of top tweeting worldwide cities put Columbus in the 39th spot, based on number of tweeters in a metropolitan area. So either Columbus actually gets Social Media and uses it on a regular basis, or our community is overrun with young people using Twitter. Both could be plausible - as Columbus is both one of the most interconnected cities within Social Media, and we also have six major colleges within our metropolitan area (if you count all the OSU campuses as one major campus).
What do you think, Columbus? Where do we stand with Social Media? Leave a comment with your thoughts!
Comments
That's pretty funny! I'm way older than all your demographics and Twitter is far more useful and entertaining for me than Facebook. I like the quick pace, the humor, the links, and the "connect on the fly" aspect of Twittering. No Facebook or MySpace for me. Too ego-focused, about as useful as a slightly outdated and incomplete book of Yellow Pages. Take it from one of those annonymous Grannies that frequent Twitter. It rocks.
my parents are on facebook, and twitter both. and they look at my tweets to see what im up to, since i stay in a different city
How is 24-49 a "much older" audience? Our life expectancy is well in to the 70's.
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