The Nielsen Company recently released research results on the age breakdown of members on 3 of the largest social networks around: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
The study used the following age brackets as a base:
- Kids: 2-11 years old
- Teens: 12-17 years old
- Young adults: 18-24 years old
- Adults1: 25-34 years old
- Adults2: 35-49 years old
- Mature adults: 50-64 years old
- Seniors: 65+ years old
The results are as follow (diagrams below):
1. FACEBOOK
2. TWITTER
3. LINKEDIN
Although it is no surprise that the ‘adult’ segments form the nucleus of most of the network’s member bases, what interests me is the prominence of the 50-64 (and 65+) year olds – the ‘Silver Surfer*’ demographic as it often referred to.
With Silver surfers becoming the fastest growing Internet demographic group in South Africa (source: Online Publishers Association), it is indeed a relevant demographic and has become quite a hot topic of discussion in recent times.
Overall though, I think we can all agree that within the South African context Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – though, especially Facebook and to a lesser extent, Twitter – are dominant forces within our online and mobile web space.
It would thus make sense to do your due diligence and understand the digital habits of your customers online.
(via BNET)
*An adult, generally 50 years of age or older, who frequently surfs the web and spends time online (”silver” refers to the colour of their hair)
Read more posts by LouisJvR
Related posts:
