Study: Twitter users young, wireless, on other social sites

A new study released on Wednesday by the Pew Internet and American Life Project has found some rather interesting tidbits of information about social network users.

According to the study, 19 percent of Web surfers use "Twitter or another service to share updates about themselves, or to see updates about others." According to the organization, its earlier findings in April 2009 found that just 11 percent of Internet users were using a status-update service.

But the reason why there has been such an uptick in status updates has much to do with the users themselves, Pew found. According to the organization, the growth is being driven by "social network Web site users, those who connect to the Internet via mobile devices, and younger Internet users--those under age 44."

The study found that 33 percent of those who are updating their status range in age between 18 and 29. Those aged between 30 and 49 make up 22 percent of the group. Just 13 percent of those who update their status are 50 years of age or older.

Pew determined that the Twitter user's median age is 31. MySpace's median age is now 26, down from 27 in May 2008. LinkedIn has also gotten younger by a year, featuring a median age of 39. But Facebook is one of the few social networks to buck the youth trend, upping its median age to 33, from 26 in May 2008.

Social fanatics
Whether or not a user is on other social networks also determines their willingness to use a service like Twitter. According to the study, 35 percent of those who have profiles on MySpace, Facebook, or LinkedIn also have profiles on Twitter. The study also found that just 6 percent of those who don't use other social networks are on Twitter.

Pew believes that there might be a correlation between the way users connect to the Web and use of sites that allow them to update their status. According to its research, 54 percent of Web users have a wireless connection to the Web. Of that group, 25 percent use Twitter or another status-update service. That said, only 8 percent of users who "rely exclusively on tethered access use Twitter or another service."

Pew found that "wireless access is an independent factor in predicting whether someone uses Twitter or another status update service. It is not simply because this group is likely to be young or tech-savvy." According to the research organization, users who connect to the Web via wireless connection are "significantly more likely to tweet."

More devices mean more tweeting
But the research group didn't stop there. The organization found that the more Web-connected devices a user has, the more likely they are to tweet.

"Fully 39 percent of Internet users with four or more Internet-connected devices (such as a laptop, cell phone, game console, or Kindle) use Twitter, compared to 28 percent of Internet users with three devices, 19 percent of Internet users with two devices, and 10 percent of Internet users with one device," the company wrote in its report.

How do you fit into Pew's research? Do you fall in the categories it mentions in its report? Let us know in the comments below.

[nrg.dude]

They actually needed to do a study to discover the obvious? Just walk down the street or visit the mall. They strangest thing I've ever seen was two young girls texting each other as they walked together. Verbal communication is in big trouble with the "Me!" generation. ;o)

[cvaldes1831]

I presume that most readers here are going to fit into one category or another. Whether or not they are particularly thrilled with social media is a completely separate issue.

Pew Internet performed a study called "A Typology of Information and Communication Technology Users" a couple of years ago, and I'm what would be called a Lackluster Veteran.

Do I have a Twitter account? Yes, several. Do I personally tweet? No. Do I quickly tired of Twitter? Yes.
Do I have a Facebook or LinkedIn account? Yes both, I log in a couple of times a year.
Do I have a MySpace account? Yes, I log in every other month or so, just to track certain bands.

[terminalblue]

wasnt there a study about 4 months ago that said that teens dont twitter?
I guess that correlation is not causation.

And outside of my friends, i dont follow anyone that is younger then i am.

[cvaldes1831]

Perhaps the variations are due to the way the survey was conducted. Or perhaps teens are jumping onto the Twitter bandwagon. Amusingly, Facebook is now full of oldsters.

[terminalblue]

wasnt there a study about 4 months ago that said that teens dont twitter? but how is young anyone under the age of 44....thats just a little vague.
I guess that correlation is not causation.

And outside of my friends, i dont follow anyone that is younger then i am.

[thewalk1100]

it seems that certain people believe it's such a hardship to update your status and keep up with social networks - how archaic is that. I belong to all four networks and update periodically on my mobile. It's fast and easy and i don't give it a second thought. With all the mobile apps available, it's just as easy to check updates and send them as it is for me to make a phone call or send a text. People like myself don't see why it's such a big deal to others that we can manage this along with the rest of our lives.

[Stefaninafla]

I use Twitter to send updates to Myspace & Facebook. a browser plugin allows me to update Twitter discreetly, and it in turn updates other social sites.

[PandaSage1221]

I don't really understand the point of a study like this. I mean, sure the numbers are kind of interesting to know (though I'm sure some would argue they're obvious) but.. what are we supposed to do with these numbers? Do they change anything? Seems like a waste of time and effort (and probably money) to me.

[KimTaylor aka Finiky]

I tweet, facebook, linkedin, and flickr - I am not the median age as designated in the report. I am older. I think some of the numbers are probably close - I think there are more "older" tweeples than the study registers.

[KevinJLenard]

As with all research studies, you have to ask questions that reveal what is really going on wit the data.

"More devices mean more tweeting" does not mean more devices encourage you to tweet by giving you more access, but that early adopters who LOVE trying new technology like Twitter, also buy all the new gadgets. These people, of course, are also automatically in the "Social Fanatics" designation as they're in there experimenting. The heaviest users are also the narcissists who are seduced by the pseudo-fame they can achieve through constant updates, those with small egos quickly tire of the 'what you had for breakfast' thing.

The telling thing about these technologies is not going to be whether today's users will continue using them tomorrow, but rather the depth of the technologies real usefulness. While the early adopter segment of "oldies" are trying out Facebook, they're also leaving it much more quickly than the teens are, because its only real use for adults is to stay in occasional touch with acquaintances and family. REAL friends and family email and phone them. The youth segment is still on the social networks because all their friends are there. When the majority of their friends leave MySpace for Facebook, they follow and abandon the former. (Is anyone vaguely normal STILL on SecondLife?)

When the teens mature into college age, their usage of these technologies changes, too. When you have a steady partner and you're over 18, you no longer feel compelled to know everything about every person in your grade. Interesting the immediate shift of behavior as kids mature out of high school -- there are two distinct "Milennial' segments: teens and post-teens: http://advertisingbusinessmodelredefined.blogspot.com/2009/04/millennials-are-two-distinct.html