Social Media Update 2014

In a new survey conducted in September 2014, the Pew Research Center finds that Facebook remains by far the most popular social media site. While its growth has slowed, the level of user engagement with the platform has increased. Other platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn saw significant increases over the past year in the proportion of online adults who now use their sites.

Key findings of the survey include:

  • 52 percent of online adults use multiple social media sites, a significant increase from 2013, when it stood at 42 percent of Internet users.
  • For the first time, more than half of all online adults 65 and older (56 percent) use Facebook. This represents 31 percent of all seniors.
  • For the first time, roughly half of internet-using young adults ages 18-29 (53 percent) use Instagram. And half of all Instagram users (49 percent) use the site daily.
  • For the first time, the share of internet users with college educations using LinkedIn reached 50 percent.
  • Women dominate Pinterest: 42 percent of online women now use the platform, compared with 13 percent of online men.
  • The survey also found that Facebook acts as “home base” -- it remains the most popular site for those who only use one, and has significant overlap with other platforms.

Social Media Update 2014