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44 Refreshing Social Media Demographic Statistics

Social media has integrated itself into modern life rather effectively. There’s a good chance that if you’re on the internet in any way, you’ve got at least one social media profile. Who is the leader in this area in virtually all demographics? Facebook.

58% of the entire adult population uses Facebook at least once a month, or 71% of adult internet users.

When you look at how people are using Facebook and other social media sites, certain patterns begin to emerge with each site, no matter what a person’s ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or age happens to be. Let’s take a look at the key statistics for each site.

The Demographics of Using Facebook

  • 84% of online adults in the 18-29 age demographic say that they use Facebook. This means this age demographic is 2x more likely to use Facebook than someone in the 65+ age demographic.
  • 71% of online adults who have attended some college, but do not have a degree, have an active Facebook profile. College graduates are more likely [74%] to be on Facebook than high school graduates or less [70%].
  • 3 out of 4 online adults with an HHI of $50-$75k use Facebook on a regular basis. The same is true for individuals with an HHI below $30k per year.
  • The average number of friends someone has on Facebook: 155.
  • 93% of Facebook users say they are Facebook friends with family members other than parents or children.
  • 87% say they are connected to friends from the past, such as high school or college classmates.
  • Only 36% of Facebook users in all demographics say that they are friends on the social media site with their neighbors.
  • 87% of people with a Facebook profile say that they use the site at least weekly. 70% say they use it daily.

What is interesting about the social media demographics of Facebook is that for every profile, only 1 out of 3 people who are friends on the site with someone are considered to be actual friends. Even though this network was developed to connect family and friends with one another, it is also being used to connect to friends of friends and people even further outside of that circle. More people [58%] are connected to their co-workers on Facebook today than their parents [45%]. This indicates an evolution from it being a personal network to more of a professional one.

The Demographics of Using Twitter

  • 23% of online adults say that they use Twitter on a somewhat regular basis.
  • Blacks or African-Americans are more likely to use Twitter [27%] than Hispanics/Latinos [25%] or Whites [21%].
  • As with Facebook, a higher percentage of internet users in the 18-29 age demographic [37%] use Twitter than any other age demographic.
  • People with a college education are 2x more likely to have an active Twitter account when compared to someone with a high school diploma or less.
  • Twitter users are more likely to have an HHI above $50k than they are to have one that is below that benchmark.
  • 25% of urban adult internet users have a Twitter profile compared to 17% of rural adult internet users.
  • From 2013-2014, the number of people in the 65+ age demographic on Twitter doubled.
  • 60% of Twitter users say that they visit their profile at least once per week.

Twitter has always been a slow burner when it comes to social media participation. As its influence continues to increase, each demographic is finding a way to make their profiles become part of their lives. Integration with other social media networks and Twitter have also helped to increase awareness of this site. People with an active Twitter account are very likely to have multiple social media accounts, which is not necessarily true of the other social networks that are frequented today.

The Demographics of Using Instagram

  • About 1 in 4 adult internet users have an active Instagram account, which is up from 17% from late 2013.
  • 53% of young adults ages 18-29 now use Instagram, compared with 37% who did so in 2013.
  • Women [29%] are more likely to be on Instagram compared to men [22%].
  • There are 6x the number of 65+ users of Instagram compared to 2013 figures.
  • People with some college are the most likely to have an account. College graduates and high school graduates use Instagram at the same levels.
  • People who make less than $30k per year are the most likely to use this social media site.
  • Urban internet users [28%] are more likely to use Instagram than rural users [19%]. This is despite a 3x growth in rural users since 2013.
  • Blacks or African-Americans [38%] are also more likely to be on Instagram than any other demographic. Only 21% of White adult internet users say that they are on this site.
  • 73% of Instagram users say that they access their profile at least once per week About half of all users are on Instagram every day.

As smartphone saturation continues to peak, a correlation of Instagram account increases occurs. When people have an easy way to take and upload pictures, they are more likely to have a profile on this social media site. This shows that people are willing to connect in more ways than just status updates or pictures of their kids – though you’ll find those on Instagram. It’s a place where you can show off your artistic side with family, friends, and strangers alike and not feel like you are compromising your personal safety.

The Demographics of Using Pinterest

  • 28% of online adults say that they use Pinterest.
  • 42% of online women are Pinterest users, compared with just 13% of men.
  • Pinterest saw an 11-point increase between 2013 and 2014 in the proportion of those 50 and older who use the site.
  • White adult internet users are 3x more likely to have an active profile on Pinterest compared to Blacks or African Americans.
  • 21% of Hispanic or Latino adults say that they are active on Pinterest.
  • The 18-29 age demographic is the most active on this site, with 1 in 3 adult users of the internet having a profile.
  • Every HHI demographic has seen increases in profile use on Pinterest, each with a minimum 7 percentage point increase.
  • Rural adult users have nearly doubled in their use of Pinterest. It is one of the few social media sites where rural users are greater than urban or suburban adult internet users.
  • Just 17% of Pinterest users say that they visit the site once per day. Another 29% say that they log into their profile once per week.

Pinterest is more about practical information sharing, such as recipes, DIY projects, and other things that people can do offline. This is why there is such a young and rural attraction to this particular social network. It is also likely why this is one of the fastest growing social media sites on the internet today. As more demographics discover the level of information that is being shared on each board, they are fast to tell their family and friends about it. The only demographic seeing reduced use of Pinterest are Blacks or African-Americans.

The Demographics of Using LinkedIn

  • 28% of online adults are LinkedIn users.
  • 50% of college graduates who are active online have a LinkedIn profile they update regularly.
  • LinkedIn is the only platform where those ages 30-64 are more likely to be users than those ages 18-29.
  • Men [28%] and women [27%] are almost equal in their use of this site.
  • LinkedIn is also one of the few places where the highest HHI also dominates.
  • 32% of employed adults on the internet say that they have a LinkedIn profile. Just 21% of unemployed adults on the internet say that their profile is active.
  • Someone on LinkedIn is 2.5x more likely to live in an urban environment compared to a rural environment.
  • Just 12% of online adults with a high school diploma or less say that they have an active account on this social media site.
  • 13% of LinkedIn users say that they are on the site once per day. 61% say that they access LinkedIn less than once per week.

LinkedIn attracts career-orientated users. Although it is growing in popularity within several demographics, most notably in the 18-29 age group that makes between $30k-$50k, even the 65+ age demographic saw an 8 percentage point increase in use since 2013. What makes LinkedIn unique is that it combines the social nature of business with educational opportunities and job-seeking chances so that a real business network can be developed. For those who are career-orientated or wish to be, this is the social network where many feel like they need to spend their most time.

Social Media Statistics

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