Pew Reports

In general, the statistics presented in the Pew Reports remain consistent with my previous understanding of social networking usage. As a 23 year-old female I agree with the statement, “Social networking site usage is most popular with those ages 18-49,”-between personal and professional uses of SNS, it’s apparent to see how and why we dominate this type of internet usage. Adults in this age range engage in social media frequently and rapidly. In my personal opinion, this age group can produce the most efficient outcomes for business, promotion, and networking because they practice constantly and have essentially woven it into their daily lives.

The SNS statistics pertaining to geographic location disagree with my predisposed knowledge of internet access. I always assumed that people living in urban and suburban areas engaged in SNS usage much more than people living in rural areas. However, SNS usage according to the report says, “69% Urban, 65% Suburban, and 64%  Rural”- since these statistical figures are very close to one another I can conclude that SNS usage has less to do with where it’s happening and more to do with who is using it.

The elderly is now required to partake in SNS and wireless telephone services in order to stay in contact with loved ones. According to the Pew Reports, “Even among those currently ages 76 and older, 56% report owning a cell phone of some kind, up from 47% of this generation in 2010.” This statistic leads me to believe that the hype over social networking sites, along with the acceleration of other technologies, leaves elderly people obliged to adjust to modern modes of communication. This is largely due to the fact that their children, grandchildren, friends, etc. are a part of this “technology generation”.

I did a double take when I received a friend request from my mother. Although my mother is relatively young (48), I can recall how strange I thought it was when she first started using Facebook. My mother is not the best with computers, but I was shocked to see her pick up SNS as quickly as she did- especially when it took her years to learn how to send a simple text message.

I was surprised when I read that 95% of teens are online and 80% of that use SNS. The statistic suggests that almost every teenager is online and the majority of them using SNS. With data like this, I will not be surprised to see when toddlers and young children become accessible to the Internet.  

Evidence of SNS usage- my Facebook profile