Who Uses Social Media? And How Many?

Nowadays, social media users come from all walks of life.

According to a study from Pew Research published in September 2013, 73% of online adults use some form of social media. (An eMarketer report puts the number at around two billion.) When broken down by factors like gender, race, age, education, income and urbanity, a few trends begin to emerge.

1. Women are more likely to use social media.

The Pew study estimates 78% of women use social networking sites, opposed to 69% of men. When broken down by site, we see that women use every prominent social media site more than men, with the exception of LinkedIn.

Social Media Site Usage by Gender

Gender	Facebook	Twitter	Instagram	Pinterest	LinkedIn
Male	66%	17%	15%	8%	24%
Female	76%	18%	20%	33%	19%

Additionally, a social media study published on First Monday found that men and women tend to use social media at the same frequency, but women spend more total time on the sites.

2. The younger you are, the more likely you are to use social media.

Ninety percent of people age 18-29 use social media. But as you climb up the age bracket, use gets more and more sparse. In the 30-49 range, 78% use social media. Those 50-64 are at 65%, and of those 65 and up, 46% use social networking sites.

Social Media Site Usage by Age

Age	Facebook	Twitter	Instagram	Pinterest	Linkedin
18-29	84%	31%	37%	27%	15%
30-49	79%	19%	18%	24%	27%
50-64	60%	9%	6%	14%	24%
65+	45%	5%	1%	9%	13%

The trend holds true across every site, save for LinkedIn again. It's clear that Facebook is still dominant in the usage category, but Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest are also prominent amongst younger people. For the older crowd, not so much.

3. Population density is a mild predicator of social media usage.

The Pew study also notes that 76% of people living urban settings use social media, compared to 72% in suburbia and 70% in rural areas. The difference, while not significant, is noticeable. 

Facebook use is pretty even across the board, but Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn use is substantially lower amongst people living in rural areas. Suburban users lead slightly in Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest usage, while urban users are most adept with Instagram.

4. Blacks lead in usage of most sites.

Among the five major social media sites discussed, all but Pinterest are led in usage by blacks. Whites lead in Pinterest usage, but are last in Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. While Hispanics lead the overall numbers, they don't stand out particularly when looking at specific sites.

Social Media Site Usage by Race

Race	Facebook	Twitter	Instagram	Pinterest	LinkedIn
White, Non-Hispanic	71%	16%	12%	21%	22%
Black, Non-Hispanic	76%	29%	34%	20%	30%
Hispanic	73%	16%	23%	18%	13%

5. Income positively correlates with LinkedIn and Pinterest use, 

The overall usage numbers for the four different income brackets are relatively equal. The biggest difference in usage between income groups? Four percent. 

However, when looking at the site breakdown, usage becomes a little less even. Facebook has slightly more users in the two lower income brackets than in the upper two, but the numbers in each subset are about equal. Twitter and Instagram use is spread out a bit more evenly, with no groups dominating. However when we get to Pinterest, and especially LinkedIn, we start to see some differences. 

Pinterest and LinkedIn Usage by Income

Income	Pinterest	LinkedIn
Less than $30,000/yr	15%	12%
$30,000-49,999/yr	21%	13%
$50,000-74,999/yr	21%	22%
$75,000+/yr	27%	38%

Those in the $75,000+ bracket are almost twice as likely to use Pinterest and three times as likely to use Linkedin as those making less than $30,000 a year. Even those in the bracket below are significantly more likely to use these sites than those earning less.

 References:

 Duggan, Maeve, and Aaron Smith. "Social Media Update 2013." Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. Pew Research Center, Sept. 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. <http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Social-Media-Update.aspx>.

 "Social Networking Reaches Nearly One in Four Around the World." EMarketer. EMarketer, 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. <http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Social-Networking-Reaches-Nearly-One-Four-Around-World/1009976>.