On a recent episode of NPR’s excellent Science Friday program, Forrester analyst Sean Corcoran spoke about a new report that looks at the use of social media and online communities among US computer users.
It offers fascinating, if sometimes obvious, insight into who’s using Facebook, Twitter, et al. Bottom line: it’s not all kids and hipsters, it’s mostly old farts (including yours truly). Sean says:
- 4/5 of Americans who are online participate in some form of Social Media.
- Of the 250 million people worldwide that belong to Facebook, half log on daily spending over 5 billion minutes a day on the site.
- Women over the age of 35 have flocked to Facebook, Twitter’s population has a male slant, MySpace is mostly the younger crowd.
Some of the points we’ve heard before (marketers, build relationships!) but the show neatly summarizes what’s happening online and, if you’re looking to put Social Media in perspective, it’s a well-spent 12 minutes. Get the full episode at these links:
Listen on the Science Friday site | Download the MP3 from NPR | Get on iTunes
