Posted on February 19, 2013

Pew Research Details Who’s Using Which Social Networks

Barry Levine, Top Tech News, February 18, 2013

Who are the biggest social media users, and, after top social site Facebook, what are the most popular networks? A new study from Pew Research Center looks at those questions.

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Pinterest is used most by women, adults under 50, whites and those with some college education. Tumblr appeals most to adults in that prime 18 to 29 demo, as does Instagram. Tumblr also fares well with African-Americans, Latinos, women and urban residents.

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This is the first time that Pew Research has compared participation in the social networks by ethnic groups. Hispanics are the biggest users of social networks, with 72 percent of that group represented. Non-Hispanic African-Americans are second at 68 percent, while non-Hispanic whites are 65 percent.

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Percentage-wise, more African-Americans and Latinos use Twitter and Instagram than do other ethnic groups. White women under 50 are Pinterest’s biggest fans. Pew said it did not indicate percentages of Asian Americans because there were not enough respondents from that demographic to be statistically reliable.

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Additionally, seventy-one percent of urban dwellers are socializers, compared to 67 percent of suburbanites and 61 percent of rural residents.

The study, while interesting, was based on a relatively small survey of just 1,802 Net users. {snip}

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Additional details on the Pew Internet study “The Demographics of Social Media Users — 2012” are available online.