Pew Internet Calls Women the "Power Users" of Social Media

Posted 08/29/2011 at 7:25am | by Paul Lilly

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Nearly two-thirds of adult Internet users (65 percent) are plugged into at least one social networking site, such as MySpace, Facebook, or LinkedIn, according to a new report by Pew Internet. That's up from 61 percent from a year prior, and more than double what it was back in 2008 (29 percent). Pew draws some interesting conclusions out of those figures.

First, Pew says the survey results indicate that for the first time, half of all adults use social networking sites. That's a tremendous uptick from 2005 -- the first year Pew pinged people about social networking -- when just 5 percent of adults (and 8 percent of Internet users) said they were into the social networking scene.

Secondly, Pew refers to young women from 18-29 years old as the "power users" of social networking sites, noting that nearly nine out of 10 (89 percent) women in that age demographic who are online use the sites overall, and 69 percent are plugged into social media outlets each day.

Whether talking about men or women, social media is a haven for young people, at least in terms of regular users.

"The graying of social networking sites continues, but the oldest users are still far less likely to be making regular use of these tools," said Mary Madden, Senior Research Specialist and co-author of the report. "While seniors are testing the waters, many Baby Boomers are beginning to make a trip to the social media pool part of their daily routine."

The report also breaks down social media usage by race (to a certain extent), income, education level, and certain geographic locations (urban, suburban, and rural). You can view the entire report here (PDF).