Facebook and Twitter Massive in America
THUNDER BAY – Are you online? Are you an adult? Enjoying Facebook? Getting your news via the Internet and Twitter? You are not alone. The Pew Centre for Media Research reports that as of May 2013, almost three quarters (72%) of online American adults use social networking sites. That figure is up from 67% in late 2012. When the research started asking about social networking sites in February 2005, just 8% of online adults said they used social networking sites.
Facebook is popular in Canada too
In Thunder Bay, with a population of 109,000 there are 70,000 Facebook users. The figures across the North are similar for Sioux Lookout, Dryden, and Kenora in term of percentages of the population being online.
In Northern communities, Facebook is very popular. Many First Nation communities have auction sites, and people trade and sell arts and crafts, food treats and other items online in their communities and beyond.
Twitter gaining in the United States
In addition to asking about general usage of social networking sites in the current survey, a stand-alone question about Twitter was asked, and found that 18% of online adults are now Twitter users. This is roughly double the 8% of online adults who used Twitter in November 2010, the first time PMC asked about Twitter as a stand-alone platform.
Internet users ages 18-29 are the most likely to use Twitter.
The study uncovered that social networking site use is a major activity for internet users from a wide range of demographic groups. Younger adults are especially avid adopters, but social networking continues to grow in popularity for older adults as well. Six out of ten internet users ages 50-64 are social networking site users, as are 43% of those ages 65 and older.
Although online seniors are less likely than other age groups to use social networking sites, adoption rates for those 65 and older have tripled in the last four years (from 13% in the spring of 2009 to 43% now).
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