Facebook and Twitter are for oldies

A new study from social media researchers Anderson Analytics shows how different generations are using social networks like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

socnetgenerations

If you pay attention to such metrics as have been published over the past year, it probably won’t surprise you to note that the older you are, the more likely you will be to be a Facebook or Twitter user, according to the study.

This is clearly suggested in the table of generations you see here.

The research relates to users in the USA of the social networks mentioned. Although I don’t know of any similar research for the UK, I wouldn’t be surprised if the picture here isn’t that dissimilar.

Inside Facebook has a good take on the stats:

[…] 75% of Generation Y users (15 to 29 years old) use MySpace compared to Facebook at 65%. Usage of Twitter (14%) and LinkedIn was up for this group. Respondents in the Generation X (30 to 44 years old), baby boomers (44 to 65 years old), and the WWII categories are more likely to use Facebook, followed by MySpace, Twitter, and LinkedIn. In other words, Facebook is becoming a popular site among the older generations – but the more telling stats here would be on growth and engagement.

So Gen Xers are the middle bulge, as it were, on Facebook and Twitter usage in particular. But the heavy users are members of the oldest generation, especially Facebook.

All of distinct interest to marketers, I would imagine.

And if you sometimes scratch your head over labels like Gen X, Y or Z, Inside Facebook helpfully notes the age demographics. This concise description list on Wikipedia will also help.

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Neville Hobson

Social Strategist, Communicator, Writer, and Podcaster with a curiosity for tech and how people use it. Believer in an Internet for everyone. Early adopter (and leaver) and experimenter with social media. Occasional test pilot of shiny new objects. Avid tea drinker.

  8. kelly

    I am a more than 20-month-old-Twitter-OLDIE who’s only been tweeting past 10 months! If Twitterers and Facebookers are OLDIES, Myspacers are ancient, no? Oh wait, there’s generation X, Y and Z… Man, I am feeling older than I really am now! heee heee

    Nice blog by the way – will explore more!

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