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.