Demographics of Social Networks

(Social Networking Fact Sheet, Pew Research Center Internet Project)

This data, collected by the Pew Research Center, shows demographics of Internet users on social networking sites overall. As one may have guessed, the highest proportion of users is found in the youngest demographic: 89% of Americans aged 18 to 29 use social networking sites, compared to 49% of those over age 65. It makes sense to most of us that younger people use social networks more than their parents and grandparents, in part because they have grown up with the technology and are more familiar with it.

(Demographics of Key Social Networking Platforms, Pew Research Center Internet Project)

The demographics vary from site to site, depending on their function. Where 84% of online users between the ages of 18 and 29 use Facebook, the most popular social network site in the survey, 60% of online users between the ages of 50-64 are on the site. Instagram, which is newer than Facebook and also primarily accessed on smart phones as an app, is comparatively more popular with younger demographics, with 37% of 18-29-year-olds using the network compared to just 6% of those ages 50-64.

Of course, age is only one demographic. Looking at gender, women appear to be more prevalent users of most social networking sites. Pinterest, in particular, seems to overwhelmingly attract women (33% of online users who were women are on Pinterest, compared to just 8% of men). The exception is LinkedIn, a professional social networking site, which is used more heavily by men and by college graduates.

As for race, the demographics are fairly similar, though a slightly higher percentage of Black, non-Hispanic Internet users are on Facebook compared to White non-Hispanics and Hispanics. This trend is similar in all of the other social networks on the survey; for Twitter, the percentage of Black users is 29% compared to 16% for both of the other race categories. There are other categories, too, that would warrant consideration if I had more time.

Social networking sites play an increasingly important role in society, providing ways for people to connect, influence, inform, harass, and entertain each other. Perhaps one of their most salient functions is that they allow anyone with access to the Internet an opportunity to voice their opinion, which they might be unable to do anywhere else in society. This is particularly interesting in light of the demographics which seem to use social networks the most, including women, young people, and racial minorities. Perhaps part of the appeal of social media to these groups whose voices are not traditionally heard in society lies in this unique outlet.

Social networks are still a relatively recent phenomenon, so it's hard to understand yet just exactly how they could alter society, but the potential of their power is undeniable.

An Atlantic article about voting mentions Facebook’s potential to alter the polls with its “I voted” button, which users can click to share that they have voted and encourage their friends to vote. Since social network users tend to skew young and female, which the Atlantic notes are two more reliably progressive demographics, there is speculation over the impact of such campaigns. The article suggests that because of the demographics, this could help bring more liberal voters to the polls. (This article from the Pew Research center talks more about social media and voting.)

This data is interesting, but it’s not wholly conclusive. I would be interested, in particular, to see what would happen if they had included data from people younger than 18, because teenagers and pre-teens have a tremendous presence on the internet, especially on sites like Instagram and Tumblr, which was not included in the survey.