Social media study sheds some light on the interests of consumers
Digital agency iAcquire recently partnered with SurveyMonkey, a market research firm, in order to shed some light on how people use social media. Years ago, as consumer electronics first began growing more popular, there were concerns that technology would lead to the society’s isolation from itself; people becoming more enthralled by technology and less integrated into their communities and society as a whole. The advent of mobile technology appears to have put those concerns to rest, as smartphones and tablets have enabled people to stay in constant contact with one another no matter where they are or what they are doing. Social media plays a major role in this constant connection.
Social media engagement increased 30 billion minutes between 2011 and 2012
According to a new study produced by iAcquire and SurveyMonkey, the time consumers spend engaged in social media has increased by 30 billion minutes from 2011 to 2012. The two firms have studied the way people use social media, tracking what they share, how they share, and what they search for. The firms also took note of age demographics and which of these demographics favored particular social networking sites.
Older consumers are more connected to social networks
According to the study, those between the ages of 18 and 29 favor Orkut, a social media site operated by Google. Reddit, DeviantArt, and Github follow closely behind. For those older than 30, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter are the most favored social networks. Facebook is not strictly preferred by either demographic, but is still used regularly. The study shows that social media is most prolific among those over the age of 30 and that the majority of all social media users, across all ages, do not use Facebook search or the search functions of other social networking sites.
Facebook begins slipping
The study shows that Facebook is beginning to lose traction with social media users, with its time engagement falling 4% between 2011 and 2012. During the same time, engagement in Google+ rose by 80% and engagement in Pinterest rose a staggering 1,000%. Social media behavior is expected to continue evolving, especially as social networks begin to focus more heavily on the mobile space as a way to engage a new generation of consumer.
Facebook sets sights on mobile technology
Facebook has become one of the world’s most used social networks and has shown aptitude in adapting to the evolution of the Internet and the advent of mobile technology. Even amid scandals concerning user security and privacy, Facebook has managed to retain its position in the world of social media. In order to continue being considered a leading social network, Facebook is having to become more mobile; accessible to those that access the network solely from a smartphone or tablet. As such, Facebook has begun reaching out to mobile developers.
Social networking is becoming increasingly mobile
Over the coming months, Facebook will be hosting a series of events that are designed with mobile developers in mind. More than half of the network’s 1 billion active users access the network through mobile devices. Facebook notes that mobile advertisements made up 23% of its advertising revenue in the fourth quarter of 2012, up 14% over the previous quarter of the same year. Becoming more mobile friendly holds major potential for Facebook that the network is eager to take advantage of.
Events will allow Facebook to engage mobile developers
Through its upcoming series of events, which will be held around the world in major cities like New York, London, and Seoul, Facebook will reach out to mobile developers that are interested in social media. The network will help developers make use of its software development kits in order to create innovative services that are designed to promote social interaction with Facebook users, including large businesses. The events are also a good chance for developers to get face time with Facebook leaders, giving them an opportunity to find work within the company.
Social networking becoming more competitive as consumers become more mobile
In recent years, Facebook has been losing much of its clout to rival social networks, such as Twitter and Instagram, despite the fact that the company owns the latter. The current generation of consumers appears to be more interested in mobile technology, and Twitter is one of the social media networks that is best suited for the mobile space. In order to compete, Facebook is prepared to make drastic changes to its network, putting more emphasis on mobile consumers. How this will be received by the large number of people that do not access the social network from a mobile device has yet to be seen.
