The Pew Internet and American Life Project discovers that Twitter users tend to be a younger, more diverse, and untethered bunch. 11% of online American adults said they used Twitter or similar services to share updates online about their activities from research collected as of December 2008.
Nearly one in five (19%) of online adults ages 18 to 24 have used Twitter or similar services, while 20% of online adults ages 25 to 34 shared updates. The number of users using Twitter like services drops precipitously as the age range increases, 35 to 44 (10%), 45 to 54 (5%), and 55 to 64 (2%). This is unsurprising considering the adoption of new technology and communication tends to be dominated by a younger crowd. That, and perhaps tweeting about saving a few pennies on groceries or getting an extra pudding at the old age home is less than newsworthy. Although, us young adults tend to tweet about the most mundane goings-on of our lives too!
Given that Twitter as a microblogging service is easily consumed using a mobile phone, it’s no surprise that Twitter users tend to send text messages, read online news, and engage other users on blogs at significantly higher consumption rates compared to the average internet user population. ARS Technica breaks down the numbers between Twitter users and regular Internet users.
“Overall, Twitter users engage with news and own technology at the same rates as other internet users, but the ways in which they use the technology — to communicate, gather and share information — reveals their affinity for mobile, untethered and social opportunities for interaction.”
To date, Microblogging has been a niche communication tool. But the growth rate of Twitter and Facebook and their penetration into mainstream media – think CNNs use of Twitter to engage users on breaking news stories and their integration with Facebook during the inauguration – coupled with the growing use of smartphones provide the potential to create a tipping point in usage of these services.
