Back in 2005 when Pew started tracking social media usage just 7% of adults were active on social networking sites. Today that number is 65%. Over the years Pew has monitored how the rise of social media has affected our work, relationships and communication patterns and how these changes have affected business and politics.
An analysis of their reports over the past decade has revealed some interesting facts – here are the key findings:
- Age Groups: 90% of young adults (18- 29) use social media. However, seniors are the fastest growing age group – the number of users over 65 has tripled since 2010!
- Gender: While women were early adopters of social media the gap is closing. 68% of all women use social media today and 62% of all men do too.
- Education and Income: Those with a higher income and a college degree have typically been the most likely to use social media. 2013 was the first year that more than half of those with a high school diploma or less were active users of social media. (Interestingly, this was the year that social media became much more visual)
- Ethic differences: There is very little difference between the usage of ethnic groups- 65% Whites, 65% Hispanic and 56% African-American.
- Location: More than half (58%)of rural residents are now using social media. 68% of suburban resident and 64% of urban dwellers are active on social media today.
See the full report findings>>
