The overall usage of social networking sites in the US has increased by a total of 16% from Q2 2008 to Q2 2009.
In addition, female users significantly outnumbered male users in Q2 2009, as nearly half admitted to visiting social networks. Younger users (<35) still hold the reigns as the top segment involved in online networking. However, the 35+ crowd managed to make significant gains in 2009, eating up a larger share of the overall market.
Usage patterns tend to trend towards vists of <1 time per week or 2-6 times per day, which poses an interesting yet important divide in frequency. It would be informative to correlate the type of user with frequency patterns in order to gain a more detailed overview of social network usage.
Though social networks have tended to contain a mostly younger crowd, it is important to take note that the number of older users adopting social media is only increasing. This has the potential to open up new opportunities for online marketers.
Source: eMarketer, August 5, 2009
