The social networking audience is growing rapidly, up 11% year on year in 2008, and is expected to increase further over the next five years, according to a new report from eMarketer.
In 2008, a staggering 80 million people, which is 41% of the US Internet user population, visited social network sites at least once a month – an increase of 11% from the previous year.
By 2013, an estimated 52% of Internet users will be regular social network visitors, according to eMarketer.
“The steady stream of social network updates and news is now a weekly – or even daily – habit for many online users,” said eMarketer’s Debra Aho Williamson, senior analyst and author of the new report. “That stickiness is good news for social networks.”
“Social network usage is not tapering off – it is growing. Not only are more consumers joining social networks, but their level of involvement is deepening,” she added.
eMarketer forecasts that 79.7 million people, 40% of US Internet users, will create content on social networks at least once a month in 2009, either by updated a profile or communicating publicly.
That represents around 90.5% of social network users – “More users are more involved with social networking now than ever before,” Williamson said.
The steady increase in usage is one of five important social network trends identified for 2009, according to eMarketer’s ‘Social Network’ report.
| US Online Social Network Users, by Age, 2008 & 2013 |
| (millions and % change) |
| |
2008 |
2013 |
% change |
| Children (3 – 11) |
1.7 |
2.8 |
61.1% |
| Teens (12 – 17) |
14.9 |
17.9 |
20.1% |
| Adults (18+) |
62.8 |
93.9 |
49.5% |
| Total: |
79.5 |
114.6 |
44.2% |
| Source: eMarketer, February 2009 |
eMarketer’s report comes just a month after the IPA said that advertisers need to get to grips with social networking, following the publication of its second future of advertising report (see IPA: Social Networking Revolution).
The IPA’s ‘Social Media Futures’ report says the ad industry could face just 1.2% growth per year by 2016 if agencies and clients fail to understand social networking and the ways in which it’s empowering the consumer.
Moray Maclennan, IPA president and CEO of M&C Saatchi Worldwide, said: “Social media has been a phenomena for some time, but the industry is only beginning to come to terms with it as a medium. Its potential is undoubted.”
In December, mobile network Orange reported that the number of people using their mobiles to access social networking sites had rocketed in the previous 12 months (see Mobile social networking rockets).
The study found that the combination of cheap or unlimited internet access tariffs and advanced handsets, which make it easier for people to log on to their favourite sites, had created a boom in social networking.
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