MarketingCharts: Social networks have different appeal to different user segments

2013.02.15@MarketingCharts

According to the latest findings from the Pew Research Center, the mainstream social networks in the United States: Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest each have unique appeal to certain groups of Americans. This is not a groundbreaking discovery, but it does reveal some interesting clues - what kind of websites various user groups prefer.

Here are some highlights, sorted by social network popularity (all percentages below are based on the number of US Internet users, not the US population):

• Facebook

The most popular social network, Facebook, is used by nearly 67% of respondents. The user groups most likely to be attracted to Facebook are: women (72%), young people aged 18-29 (86%), users with an annual household income of more than $75,000 (73%), and urban residents (72%).

• Twitter

The usage rate of male users is 17%, slightly higher than that of female users at 15%, and the average is 16%. Non-Hispanic people of color are 63% more likely to use Twitter, reaching 26%, while white people are the opposite, only 14%, but Hispanic whites are higher, reaching 19%. Twitter is also very popular among young people aged 18-29, reaching 27%, but there is no difference in education background and family income. Urban residents prefer to use Twitter, reaching 20%.

• Pinterest

The usage rate of women is 5 times higher than that of men, 25% vs. 5%. The average usage rate of Pinterest is 15%, with white people slightly above the average at 18%; blacks (8%) and Hispanics (10%) slightly below the average; interestingly, the usage rate of the 18-29 age group and the 30-49 age group is the same, both 19% - this is consistent with the conclusion of other research institutions: Pinterest is more attractive to older groups. There is also a clear distribution in terms of educational background: the usage rate of users with undergraduate or higher education backgrounds is 20%, which is higher than that of users with lower education backgrounds. Interestingly, suburban and rural users prefer Pinterest more than urban residents, 18% vs. 13%.

• Instagram

Women use it more than men, 16% vs. 10%. Instagram's average usage is 13%, and its racial and religious distribution is similar to Twitter. Non-Hispanic blacks are far above average, at 23%. Hispanics use it slightly more, at 18%, while whites use it less, at 13%. There are significant differences in age distribution. 18-29 year olds use it at 28%, while 30-49 year olds use it at 14%, 50-64 year olds use it at 3%, and people over 65 use it at 2%. Instagram appeals to urban residents more than rural residents, 17% vs. 11%, and suburban residents use it at 11%.

• Tumblr

There is no gender difference in the distribution of Tumblr users, with both male and female users using 6%, and only slight differences in racial distribution. The 18-29 age group has the highest usage rate, reaching 13%. Tumblr users do not show distribution in terms of urban and rural areas or household income.