Long time, no post. So, first let me wish you a happy new year.
According to “Social Networking Websites and Teens: An Overview,” the latest Pew Internet Research Project Data Memo published yesterday, it looks like 2007 could be the year of the social networking websites.
I know I’ve been saying it for a while, but it doesn’t hurt to back it up with fresh statistics, which is exactly what this report brings to us.
The telephone survey was conducted last October and November among a national sample of 935 youths ages 12 to 17. They were asked how and why they use these social networking sites.
Below are a few highlights, but you should definitely download and read this 10-page report available in PDF
- 55% of online teens have created a personal profile online, and 55% have used social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook.
- 66% of teens who have created a profile say that their profile is not visible to all internet users. They limit access to their profiles.
- 48% of teens visit social networking websites daily or more often; 26% visit once a day, 22% visit several times a day.
- Older girls ages 15-17 are more likely to have used social networking sites and created online profiles; 70% of older girls have used an online social network compared with 54% of older boys, and 70% of older girls have created an online profile, while only 57% of older boys have done so.
There’s definitely more to this report. If time permits, I’ll try to post more about it later today or this week.
Be sure to check out Danah Boyd’s take on it. She thinks the participation #s skew a little bit higher.
http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2007/01/07/pew_data_on_soc.html
Danah Boyd added some great insight into some of the numbers and the methodology explaining why, for instance, she thinks it underestimated the figures in some situations: http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2007/01/07/pew_data_on_soc.html
It was on my to-read list, but thanks.
After reading, David’s and Sam’s comments that I both approved from the comment queue at the same time, I’m not sure though if she thinks they’re inflated or underestimated ;-)
More in a follow-up post.
This will surprise you!
http://www.myspace.com/collegesanduniversities
Heather,
I’m not surprised ;-)
I stumbled upon your profile a while back. But, as I said in my email to you, I’m looking forward to writing a bit more about you’re doing with myspace.