Social media is ever present in our technology-driven society. In fact, having only one social media account is no longer enough–an individual must have a Facebook, a Twitter, an Instagram, a LinkedIn, etc., etc. Unsurprisingly, millennials are the most active on all social media channels. Additionally, urban users are more likely to partake in social media than suburban or rural ones. But what are other notable social media demographics, according to the Pew Research Center?
- 72% of American adult internet users have a Facebook account
- More women (77%) than men (66%)
- Facebook, out of all social media platforms, has the highest percentage of internet users who are 50+ (56%)
- Hispanics (75%) use Facebook the most, followed by whites (70%) and blacks (67%)
- Education level has relatively little effect on the percentage of users
- High school grad or less (71%)
- Some college (72%)
- College+ (72%)
- Socio-economic status has no effect
- 28% of American adult internet users have an Instagram
- More women (31%) than men (24%)
- Instagram, out of all social media platforms, has the lowest percentage of internet users who are 50+ (7.5%)
- Blacks (47%) use Instagram the most, followed by Hispanics (38%) and whites (21%)
- Users who have “some college” (32%) are more likely to have an Instagram than users who are a “high school grad or less” (25%) or have “college+” (26%)
- Socio-economic status has relatively little impact
- 25% of American adult internet users use LinkedIn; no notable difference in men or women
- 19% of internet users aged 50+ have a LinkedIn profile
- Whites (26%) use LinkedIn the most, followed by blacks and Hispanics (both 22%)
- Likelihood of usage increases with education
- High school grad or less (9%)
- Some college (25%)
- College+ (46%)
- Higher socioeconomic status increases likelihood of having a profile
- Less than $30,000/yr (17%)
- $30,000-49,999 (21%)
- $50,000-74,999 (32%)
- $75,000+ (41%)
- 23% of American adult internet users use Twitter
- Less women (21%) than men (25%)
- 9.5% of internet users aged 50+ have a Twitter
- Blacks and Hispanics (28%) use Twitter the most, followed by whites (20%)
- Likelihood of usage increases with education
- High school grad or less (19%)
- Some college (23%)
- College+ (27%)
- Socio-economic status has relatively little effect
Evidently, Facebook is the king of social media, as 72% of all adult Internet users have a profile on the site. Instagram is most popular among blacks, LinkedIn among whites, and Facebook among Hispanics. Education-level and socioeconomic status play a huge role in the number of users on LinkedIn, as the increase in both leads to an increased likelihood of profile creation on these platforms. Each social media platform has unique offerings for users, thus differences in the demographics of social media users arise depending on the platform. To read more about social media demographics, read the full PRC report here.