Social media use is always changing
Social media is its own beast, constantly changing and evolving, with new networking sites popping up by the handful. Because of society’s every increasing reliance on networking sites, Pew Research Center began and continued tracking our social media usage in 2005.
One of the most surprising statistics to come of this research is how popular social media has become with senior adults. 35 percent of Americans 65 and older use a social network, which is up from 11 percent in 2010 and 2 percent in 2005.
Not such a surprise, 90 percent of young adults, ages 18-29, use social media. In 2005, 12 percent of young adults already subscribed to the new trend.
Gender, income, and education
In terms of gender, there does not seem to be much of a percentage gap. 68 percent of all women use social media, while 62 percent of all men do.
Household income does seem to affect social networking usage. 56 percent of those in households earning less than $30,000 per year use social media, compared to 4 percent in 2005. 78 percent of households earning $75,000 per year use social media, compared to 12 percent in 2005. That is a vast and obvious difference that cannot go unnoticed.
More statistics that deserve callouts pertain to education. 54 percent of Americans with high school diplomas or less use social networks, 70 percent of those with some college education do, and 76 percent of college graduates use social media. In 2005 they used social networks 4, 8 and 12 percent respectively.
Race, location, and growth
In terms of racial groups in 2005, 6 percent of African Americans, 7 percent of whites, and 10 percent of Hispanics used social networks. In 2015, 56 percent of African Americans, 65 percent of whites and 65 percent of Hispanics use social media.
As from the beginning, rural residents continue to lag behind in their use of social networking sites. 58 percent of rural residents use social media, compared to 68 percent of suburban residents, and 64 percent of urban residents. These numbers are up from 5 percent, 7 percent, and 9 percent respectively in 2005.
As social media continues to grow and change, researchers will continue to track America’s networking usage and what it says about our communities, social classes, and our country.
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