Social Media Tipping Point with Adults

The latest findings from the Pew Research Center's ongoing study of Internet use shows that social media use has reached a tipping point with adults. 65% of U.S. adults now regularly use social media sites. Last year that figure was 61%; in 2005, just 5% of adults used social media. Understandably, most of the growth came from seniors. After all, younger internet users adopted social media much earlier, leaving the older cohort to fill in the gaps. Via the Wall Street Journal, here are some of the relevant findings:

·         On a typical day, 43% of all U.S. adults visit a site like Facebook or Twitter.
·         32% of adults 50-64 use social media in a typical day (versus 20% a year ago).
·         83% of 18-29 year-olds use social networking sites.
·         33% of adults 65+ are plugged into social media, up from 26% a year ago.