Social Media Still Belongs to Youngsters

Although social media sites, such as MySpace and Facebook, are increasingly popular among Internet users of all ages, a new study shows that the two platforms are still dominated by teens and youngsters, and that, most likely, this trend will continue for the next years. There is also a big difference between the reasons for which age groups use such sites. While adults use them to stay in touch with old friends from time to time, children use them more on a daily basis, to chat and exchange pictures or videos with their peers nearly in real time.

The number of adults on social websites has increased from approximately 8 percent four years ago to about 35 percent in 2008, a new Pew Internet & American Life Project study found. The trend is not likely to stop, and probably even more people will create at least one account on one of the most popular sites online today, including MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and others.

On the other hand, in the 12 to 17 age group, 65 percent of 2,250 survey respondents reported having at least one account on the aforementioned sites. More than 75 percent of those in the 18 to 24 age group reported being online in social networks. The statistical difference between these two groups and the first one is obvious, and researchers say that motivation is the main factor that causes it.

Some adults may look at these sites as nothing more than child play, and not attempt to log in simply because they could feel they have nothing to benefit from doing so. But previous studies have shown that, out of the adults creating accounts, more than 85 percent do so to get in touch with friends from far away. During this holiday season, a lot of people used the features built in these sites to send greeting cards or messages to friends, renouncing the classic means, the phone.

Only 28 percent of people above the age of 35 use social sites for business, although many companies have already established a foothold in what they term “the new online market.” Advertising spaces on popular sites are very expensive, and the money collected allows the sites to further upgrade their platform, to include even more users.