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GENDER DISTRIBUTION OF SPECIFIC SOCIAL NETWORKS

              Women   Men

Twitter        XX%    XX%
Facebook       XX%    XX%
MySpace        XX%    XX%
LinkedIn       XX%    XX%
Other sites    XX%    XX%

SOURCE: Pew Internet and American Life Project

Note: Table made from bar graph.

Full article

Social networking is becoming an increasingly mainstream activity. Contrary to media portrayals of digital interactions as isolating, active social networkers are more likely than others to have strong support networks.

Moving Into Mainstream

Nearly six in XX online adults (XX%) use social networking, an increase of XX% since 2008, according to the Pew Internet and American Life project (calculations by RESEARCH ALERT). Social networking is growing fastest among adults over XX, nearly half of whom (XX%) use social networks, more than double the XX% who did in 2008. In 2008, XX% of social network users were between the ages of XX and XX; by 2010, more than half (XX%) were XX or older.

Who Uses Which Network

Women make up the majority of social network users (XX%, up from XX% in 2008), with the exception of LinkedIn, which is used by more men than women. Facebook is by far the most widely used social network; XX% of social network users have Facebook accounts. Just under three in XX (XX%) are on MySpace, XX% are on LinkedIn, and XX% are on Twitter. Facebook and Twitter users are most actively engaged with the sites: XX% of Facebook users log on daily, as do XX% of Twitter users. Only X% of MySpace users and X% of LinkedIn users log on daily.

Women Lead Facebook

Women who are on Facebook post status updates more frequently than men do: XX% of women post once a day or more, compared to XX% of men. Almost a third of Facebook users ages XX-XX (XX%) post status updates at least once a day.

Facebook users comment on other people's status updates more frequently than they post their own. More than half (XX%) of Facebook users comment on other users' posts at least once a week, and XX% comment at least once a day, compared to XX% who post their own updates at least once a week, and XX% who post once a day or more.

Virtual And "Real-Life" Friends

The average Facebook user has XXX friends on the site; many of these are people with whom he or she might otherwise lose touch. Facebook users have met XX% of their Facebook friends in person, however. Four in XX Facebook users (XX%) have friended all of their closest "real-life" friends on the site, up from XX% who had done so in 2008.

In general, Facebook makes its users feel more socially connected and supported. People who visit Facebook several times daily have X% more friends they consider their core confidants than other Internet users do. They're also more likely than other Internet users to receive emotional support and/or tangible help (such as someone to take care of them when they're sick), and to have people to spend time with.

Internet users (XX%) and social networkers (XX%) are more likely than non-Internet users (XX%) to feel that most people can be trusted. Facebook users who visit the site several times a day are XX% more likely than other Internet users and three times more likely than non-Internet users to feel this way.

Twitter Users Are Highly Connected

Twitter users are more likely than users of other social media to log in via mobile devices, according to Compete. More than four in XX Americans who use Twitter (XX%) access the site through cell phones or smartphones and X% through tablets, compared to XX% and X%, respectively, of Facebook users and X% and X% of LinkedIn users (the study did not look at MySpace users). Pew finds an even higher proportion of Twitter users accessing the site via mobile: XX% of users with cell phones or smartphones access the site on them.

Although the numbers of people using Twitter are still relatively small, the site is growing fastest among the social networks studied by Pew. Twitter use among XX-XX-year-olds doubled between November 2010 and May 2011 (from X% to XX%). Twitter users and MySpace users are more racially and ethnically diverse than users of Facebook and LinkedIn.

Twitter users are much more active than overall adults in online social activities, according to GfK MRI: They're XXX% more likely to write blogs; XXX% more likely to upload videos; and XXX% more likely to post reviews or comments on blogs, message boards, and other forums. They're also XXX% more likely to be published writers and XXX% more likely to own e-readers. Conversely, owners of e-readers are more likely than the average adult to be active on social networking sites in general, including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

More than half of Twitter users who follow a brand (XX%) and XX% of Facebook users who "like" a brand say they're more likely to buy that brand's products after signifying their allegiance. More than six in XX (XX% of Twitter users and XX% of Facebook users) say they're more likely to visit the brand's website; XX% of Twitter users and XX% of Facebook users are more likely to recommend the brand to others after following/liking it, according to Compete.

Consumers' top reasons for following or liking brands are to learn about discounts and promotions and to get free stuff. Twitter users are more likely than Facebook users to followa brand because they want product updates, to stay informed about the company, to interact with the company, or purely for fun. [SOCIAL NETWORKING, HUMAN BEHAVIOR]

SOURCES: "Social Networking Sites and Our Lives," June XX, 2011, and "XX% of Online Adults Use Twitter," June X, 2011, Pew Internet and American Life Project, Lee Rainey, Director, and Aaron Smith, Senior Research Specialist, XXXX L St., NW, #XXX, Washington, DC XXXXX; XXX-XXX-XXXX; info@ pewinternet.org; www.pewinternet.org. Price: Available online at no charge.

"Four Things You Might Not Know About Twitter," June XX, 2011, Compete Pulse, Compete Inc., Cynthia Stevens, Director of Marketing, X Copley PI., #XXX, Boston, MA XXXXX; XXX-XXX-XXXX, xXXXX; cstevens@compete.com; www.competeinc.com. Price: Available online at no charge: http://compete.com/newsletter/

"Survey of the American Consumer, Spring 2010," GfK MRI, Anne Marie Kelly, SVP Marketing and Strategic Planning, XX Ninth Ave., New York, NY XXXXX; XXX-XXX-XXXX; Annernarie.kelly@gfkrnri.com; www.gfkmri.com. Price: Contact for information.

WHAT FACEBOOK USERS DO ON A TYPICAL DAY

"Like" another
user's content       XX%

Comment on
another user's
post/status          XX%

Comment on another
user's photos        XX%

Update own status    XX%

Send another user
a private message    XX%

SOURCE: Pew Internet and American Life Project

Note: Table made from bar graph.

TWITTER USERS' ACTIVITIES
(% who ever do)

Read tweets                           XX%
Tweet updates/links                   XX%
Tweet replies                         XX%
Keep up on news/current events        XX%
Retweet                               XX%
Look at pictures                      XX%
Click on links in tweets              XX%
Find people to follow                 XX%
Send/receive direct messages          XX%
Check trending topics                 XX%
"Favorite" tweets                     XX%
Tweet photos                          XX%
Find brands to follow                 XX%
Visit brand pages                     XX%
Tweet about TV shows while watching   XX%

SOURCE: Compete

Note: Table made from bar graph.
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