Social Media Impact On Consumers

According to a new analysis of BIGresearch's Simultaneous Media Usage Survey (SIMM 14-Jun 09) of over 22,000 consumers, social media impacts consumers, which in turn directly impacts marketers, but not all options are the same. Social media users are likely to use more than one platform, some at a higher rate than others. For example, 60.2% of MySpace Users (those who regularly use the application) regularly use Facebook. On the other hand only 24% of Facebook Users utilize MySpace.

Regularly use the following social media:

USER Use Use Use Use Text Read Post to
GROUPS Facebook LinkedIn MySpace Twitter Msg. Blogs Blogs
Adults 18+ 27.9% 3.3% 11.6% 4.1% 27.3% 10.9% 4.3%
Facebook Users*---- 7.7% 24.0% 10.5% 47.5% 20.2% 8.8%
LinkedIn Users 63.4% ---- 24.3% 22.1% 43.3% 29.1% 16.8%
MySpace Users 60.2% 7.6% ---- 14.6% 53.7% 20.5% 11.1%
Twitter Users 72.7% 18.8% 39.4% ---- 56.9% 49.3% 31.0%
Texters 48.5% 5.2% 21.5% 8.3% ---- 17.7% 7.8%
Blog Readers 51.0% 8.6% 20.5% 17.7% 44.0% ---- 34.0%
Blog Posters** 59.0% 13.1% 28.6% 27.9% 50.8% 83.3% ----

Source: BIGresearch, SIMM 14
*To be read as: 7.7% of Facebook Users regularly use LinkedIn, 24% use MySpace.
**Blog Posters include those who post to blogs and maintain a blog


Social Adults
Media Users* 18+
Male 42.5% 48.7%
Female 57.5% 51.3%
Average Age 38.2 45.1
Average Income $68,311 $66,942

In the next 6 months, plan to buy:
Social Adults
Media Users* 18+
Vacation 30.2% 26.3%
Furniture 17.8% 12.8%
Computer 17.3% 13.2%
TV 15.9% 12.4%
Car/truck 12.7% 10.8%

Source: BIGresearch, SIMM 14
*Social Media includes: Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, Texting and Blog Users

When looking specifically at the user of each platform, Facebook users average 37 years old and MySpace users are the youngest at an average age of 33 of those profiled. LinkedIn users have the highest incomes. Social media usage for ethnic groups indexes high across most social medias.

Facebook LinkedIn MySpace Twitter Texters Blog Blog
Users Users Users Users Readers Posters*
Male 40.2% 62.0% 48.4% 50.8% 38.3% 43.8% 47.5%
Female 59.8% 38.0% 51.6% 49.2% 61.7% 56.2% 52.5%
Avg. Age 37.1 40.6 33.0 35.5 36.2 38.3 36.0
Avg. Income $68,523 $96,937 $51,489 $68,740 $69,595 $67,941 $63,131
Hispanic 15.8% 14.9% 26.9% 19.1% 18.0% 17.7% 21.6%
Black 12.1% 11.7% 13.6% 17.0% 15.7% 13.0% 12.9%
Asian 2.9% 4.8% 1.7% 5.4% 2.2% 3.5% 4.4%
White 75.7% 75.3% 64.9% 64.4% 70.2% 71.5% 69.0%