According to The Nielsen Company, global consumers spent more than 5.5 hours on social networking sites in December 2009. In December 2008, users were only spending about 3 hours on the same sites. That’s an increase of 82% in just one year.
A recent report by eMarketer looked at the social network usage of multiple generations. They broke up the generations as follows: Millennials (14-26), Generation X (27-43), Boomers (44-62), and Matures (63-75).
Some of the most interesting data focused on Baby Boomers and their major jump in social media activity from just 2008 to 2009.
Forty-six percent of Boomer respondents said they maintained a social network profile (compared to 30% in 2007, according to a recent Deloitte study).
Here’s the breakdown on 3 popular social sites:
Facebook:
- Baby Boomers using Facebook increased 107% from 2008 to 2009
- 73% of Boomers maintain a Facebook profile
- 90% of Matures maintain a Facebook profile (That number comes as a surprise considering it was the highest of all generations.)
Twitter:
- Twitter usage jumped 714% from 2008 to 2009
- 13% of Boomers maintain a Twitter account
- 17% of Matures maintain a Twitter account (again, higher than the Boomers!)
LinkedIn:
- 13% of Boomers
- 4% of Matures
“Boomers expect that technology will help them live longer and better lives and keep them connected to family, friends, co-workers and, eventually, healthcare providers,” said Lisa E. Phillips, eMarketer senior analyst. “To fulfill these expectations, Boomers are turning to social media, where they keep up their offline social connections and make new ones. Online marketing messages that help them build on their connections—and foster other online relationships—will get their interest.”
Source: SocialMediaExaminer.com