I get the question all the time: “Who uses Twitter?” It's usually delivered with a snarky tone and a nose up in the air. The subtext is unmistakable: "Isn't Twitter just a bunch of babble?"
New data from the Pew Internet & American Life Project provides some fresh answers.
- 8% of the U.S. adult Internet population (which is 74% of adults)
- Young adults: Internet users ages 18-29 are significantly more likely to use Twitter than are older adults.
- African-Americans and Latinos: Minority internet users are more than twice as likely to use Twitter as are white Internet users.
- Urbanites: Urban residents are roughly twice as likely to use Twitter as rural dwellers.
- Women and the college-educated are also slightly more likely than average to use the service.
What do people tweet about?
- 72% post updates related to their personal life, activities or interests; 19% post personal updates once a day or more.
- 62% post updates related to their work life, activities, or interests, with 12% doing so on a daily basis.
- 55% share links to news stories. About one in ten (12%) do this at least once a day.
- 53% retweet material posted by others, with 18% doing so on a daily basis.
- 40% share photos with others, with 12% going so at least once a day.
- 24% tweet their location, with 7% of users doing so on a daily basis.
What does it all mean?
First of all, 8% may not sound like much, but it is a LOT of people. According to the latest data, the total U.S. Internet poulation is 239,893,600. That means 8% a "mere" 19,191,488 individuals.
Beyond the numbers, the data is very revealing about usage and behavior. It's obvious that people are using Twitter to talk about themselves and their lives, and yes, a lot of it is chatter. But one person's chatter is another's gold mine. Look closer at that noise, and you see it’s not babble. It’s actually people telling you how you can fulfill and serve their needs.
What marketer would turn his/her nose up at that?
