Where To Focus Your Social Media Efforts? A Demographic Guide
Davis
It's easy to have blinders on when it comes to social media. If you're not on Facebook, it can seem as if no one is on Facebook. But if you're an avid Facebook user, it can seem as if everyone – including your grandmother – is there.
But the big picture of the social media landscape can vary greatly from an individual's experience. So, I looked for the basic stats to help you understand just what the audience is for the top social media sites.
If you're looking for the social media site with the biggest swath of the population, Facebook is probably where you want to be. There are more than 1 billion monthly active users of Facebook, according to the company's 2012 annual report. Those users account for 150 billion friend connections and all those people upload, on average, more than 350 million photos per day. That's a lot of selfies.
According to a study by the Pew Research Center from February of this year, 67 percent of Internet users are on Facebook. Nearly two-thirds of female Internet users are on Facebook, compared with just 62 percent of men. The younger you are, the more likely you are to be on Facebook. In the 18-to-29 age range, 86 percent of Internet users are on Facebook.
According to the Pew report, 15 percent of Internet users are on Pinterest. Pinterest heavily skews toward women, with two-thirds of users females, according to the site. About half of users are between the ages of 25 to 44.
Twitter has 230 million active monthly users, sending out 500 tweets per day. Of the active users, 76 percent access Twitter on mobile devices. While it's easy to assume the majority of Twitter users are based in the United States, you'd be wrong. More than three-quarters of accounts are outside the U.S.
According to the Pew Research data, 16 percent of Internet users are using Twitter. The age range for Twitter skews young, with the largest chunk in the 18- to 29-year-old bracket. Only 2 percent of people 65 and older use Twitter. The site is also slightly more popular with women, with 71 percent of female Internet users using Twitter, compared to just 62 percent of men.
LinkedIn has 220 million users in more than 200 countries. According to the online analytics firm Quancast, 61 percent of LinkedIn's users are male and half the users are between the ages of 25 and 64. LinkedIn also has a pretty wealthy clientele – 31 percent have annual household incomes of more than $100,000.
Instagram boasts 150 million monthly active users, 60 percent of whom are outside the United States. Those users have shared a total of 16 billion photos, or 55 million per day, on average. According to Pew, 13 percent of Internet users are on Instagram, and there are slightly more female users. About 28 percent of people between the ages of 18 to 29 are Instagram users.
SnapChat
If you're over 18, chances are you haven't heard of SnapChat. If you have heard of it, you may just happen to know a teen or tween. While still a relatively young social network – it launched in 2011 – it's gaining adoption quickly. There are 400 million photos – or “snaps” – shared through the site each day, which places it above Facebook for photo sharing.
SnapChat's growth has made it an acquisition target, but its founders aren't ready to sell out yet. They reportedly turned down a $3 billion acquisition offer from Facebook, according to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal.
Christina Davis can be reached at davis@wbjournal.com.
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