Only Half of Adult Americans Are Using Social Networking Sites

You are on Facebook, you colleague is on Facebook; Everybody is on Facebook. Wrong. Only half of the adult Americans use social network sites, according to a survey by Pew Internet. This might seem like a catastrophic low number. There is, however, a silver ligning. Because 2 in 3 (65%) adult internet users are using a social networking site like Facebook, Linkedin, MySpace or equal. That’s a huge increase from 2008 where 29 per cent were using a social networking site. Back in 2005 only 8 per cent of internet user were surfing a social networking site.

Only e-mailing and searching are more popular
On a ordinary day 43 per cent of adult surfers use social networking. The only two activities which are more popular is e-mail used by 61 per cent and search engines used by 59 per cent.

It's woman's world
Women in the age of 18-29 are the most frequent users of social networking sites. 9 in 10 (89%) who are online have used a social media network site and 69 per cent use a social media site on an average day.

The percentage of adult internet users of each gender who use social networking sites

Year	Females	Males
2011	69%	60%
2010	67%	56%
2009	50%	42%
2008	30%	28%
2006	14%	18%
2005	6%	9%

Source: Pew Internet (August 2011)

And the young
If we are looking on age groups it's primarily young adults who are networking on the Internet. Social media network became popular five years ago. In 18 month, between February 2005 and August 2006, the use of social networking sites among young adult internet users increased from 9 per cent to 49 per cent. In the same period the use of social networking sites among the 30-49 year olds stod still. That has changed since then but the young adults are still dominating social networking sites.

The percentage of adult internet users in each age group who use social networking sites

Year	18-29	30-49	50-54	65+
2011	83%	70%	51%	33%
2010	86%	61%	47%	26%
2009	76%	48%	25%	13%
2008	67%	25%	11%	7%
2006	49%	8%	4%	1%
2005	9%	7%	6%	6%

Source: Pew Internet (August 2011)

However, grandmothers and grandfathers of all ages have adopted social networking online. In the last two years the use of social networking sites among internet users age 65 and older has grown 150 per cent. In the period the use of social networking sites by 50-64 year-old internet users has doubled.


Find more information in the survey 65% of online adults use social networking sites from Pew Internet.

The Mobile Phone Has Become A Necessity

If you forget your wallet at home you don't go back for it; but you go back for your mobile/cell phone. The mobile/cell phone has become a necessity. A study made by Pew Internet shows that 83 per cent of Americans own a mobile phone. And they use it. Quite often.

Problems in Paradise
It is great that Americans use their mobile/cell phones this much. But not all is well in the Garden of Eden.16 per cent have difficulties reading on their phone because the screen is too small, and one in ten has difficulties entering a lot of text on their phone.

Texting is popular
Text messaging (sms) and taking pictures are the two most popular thing to do with your phone. Three in four mobile owners (73%) use their phones for both texting and picture taking. Other frequent activities are sending photos or videos, half  (54%) of mobile phone owners do this and surfing on the Internet via the mobile phone is done by 44 per cent.

Smartphones
One third of American adults (35%) own a smartphone. And smartphone users use their phone more than ordinary mobile/cell phone users. Nine in ten smartphone owners are texting or taking pictures with their phones, while eight in ten use their phone to surf on the Internet or to send photos or videos.

Percentage of adult cell phone owners within each group who use their phones to do the following:

Activity	Mobile/cell phone owners	Smartphone owners
Texting	92%	59%
Take picture	92%	59%
Access the Internet	84%	15%
Send phone or video	80%	36%
E-mails	76%	10%
Download apps	69%	4%
Play a game	64%	14%
Play music	64%	12%
Record a video	59%	15%
Go to social network sites	59%	8%
Watch a video	54%	5%
Post a photo or video online	45%	5%
Do online banking	37%	5%
Participate in a video chat or call	13%	1%

Source: Pew Internet (August 2011)

Half the mobile/cell phone owners (51%) has used their mobile/cell phone at least once to get information they needed right here and now. One in four (27%) has experienced a situation in the previous month in which they had problems doing something because they didn't have their mobile/cell phone with them. This shows that we are becoming dependent on having our mobile/cell phone with us at all times, that's why we go back for it if we forget at home.


See Americans and their cell phones from Pew Internet.