According to a study conducted by Anderson Analytics, all age groups in the U.S. use social networking sites more to keep in touch with friends than anything else, while big portions of older age groups are using Facebook and MySpace.
The study, “Social Network Service (SNS) A&U Profiler,” broke down the age groups into the following categories:
- Generation Z: 13-14 year olds
- Generation Y: 15-29 year olds
- Generation X: 30-44 year olds
- Baby Boomers: 44-65 year olds
- WWII generation: 66+
Overall, 75 percent of the 1,000 respondents to the survey said they used social networking sites to keep in touch with friends. Generation Z (93 percent) led this group with this response, followed by Generation Y (82 percent), Generation X (71 percent), Baby Boomers (62 percent) and the WWII generation (57 percent).
Fifty-five percent of all respondents said they used these sites for fun, with Generation Z (91 percent) again leading this response group, followed by Generation Y (61 percent), Generation X (51 percent), Baby Boomers (38 percent) and the WWII generation (30 percent).
Keeping in touch with family was the third most popular response, with 41 percent overall. The WWII generation led this group with a 51 percent response.
Thirty percent said they were invited to the site by someone they knew, with the WWII generation leading this response. Another 30 percent said they use these sites to keep in touch with classmates.
Only 5 percent said they use these sites to keep in touch with their business networks, while 4 percent said they use them for job hunting.
Facebook appears to be the favorite social networking site of choice, with 90 percent of the WWII generation saying they use the site, along with 73 percent of Baby Boomers, 76 percent of Generation X, 65 percent of Generation Y and 61 percent of Generation Z.
MySpace followed behind, while Twitter was third. LinkedIn was the fourth most popular according to the study, which isn’t shocking given the small percentages of users who utilize social networking sites for business or job hunting purposes.
Source:
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007202
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=110517
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