New research by the Pew Internet & American Life Project shows a demographic portrait of the users of several social media networks, and offers comparison to a similar study back in 2010. Breaking down social networking users by race, the study revealed that blacks and Hispanics are more likely to be on Twitter and Instagram, while whites are more likely to use Pinterest.
Here are the main findings, broken down by platform:
- used by “everyone, everywhere” (AdAge)- even 35% of those 65 and older use the social network
- blacks and Hispanics are more likely to be on Twitter: 26% of black internet users are on Twitter, compared to 14% of white users and 19% of Hispanics
- is more popular among urban dwellers: 20% of people living in urban areas use Twitter, vs. 14% in the suburbs and 12% in rural areas
- 23% of black internet users and 18% of Hispanic internet users use Instagram, compared to just 11% of whites
- has surpassed Tumblr in popularity: 13% of those surveyed use Instagram, but only 6% use Tumblr
- shows a higher percentage of whites: 18% of white internet users are on Pinterest, compared to 8% of blacks and 10% of Hispanics
- is more popular among higher income internet users: 23% of people with household income between $50,000 and $74,999 use Pinterest, as well as 18% of people who make even more; only 10% of people who make under $30,000 use the image-sharing network
Are you surprised by the different demographics for each social network? Do you think they will change — especially for the younger platforms like Instagram and Pinterest?
The data is from a survey of 1,802 people, via mobile and home phones, over the course of one month in late 2012.
