The course of social media never did run smooth, not for long, anyhow. And for some Web 2.0 companies, it’s running less smoothly than ever.
It goes without saying that Facebook is the network du jour, but even though the reigning champion’s user stats keep soaring, social networking as a whole might be leveling off. Nevertheless, there are still scores of other highly competitive social sites that are waxing and waning; and different networks and apps are more popular in specific geographic areas, with certain genders or age groups and even among various social classes.
For example, Plaxo is the network with the most users over the age of 65. Facebook is more popular with women, but Digg and Reddit tend to be more popular with men. LinkedIn is the “richest” social network, but Plurk outranks it when it comes to well-educated users who have graduate degrees.
Check out this infographic from social media agency Ignite Social Media, and let us know what you think in the comments. Do these findings line up with your own perceptions and usage habits?
---------------------
by
Its hard to fathom that Facebook is not leading any of these categories. Thanks for sharing these other networks that were nonexistent to me until now.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Carlos
Social Media, although a necessity in todays marketing world teeters on the edge of being nothing more than cyber chortle. I still hold the belief that everyone is too busy posting and trying to get their own message out to be able to listen to anyone else or really absorb anything else. It seems that what you have is a bunch of people all talking to each other at the same time. How much listening can actually take place in that kind of environment?
ReplyDeleteVery interesting - good way to assess which media channel to use when looking for people and posting positions. Fascinating information. It would also be interesting to watch this over time since its clear that preferences come and go.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, yes. But I wouldn't put too much stock in these numbers/trends - at least not without more contextual information. The Ning numbers may have dropped, for example, but that could reflect maturation more than decline, especially after they changed their business model in 2010. And I was surprised to see that social bookmarking sites like Reddit and StumbleUpon are still on the rise. Part of that could be due to the backlash against Digg after they changed their UI in 2010, but in general I don't see these platforms sustaining themselves over the long haul as social networks. As individual information management tools, perhaps - but there are better options now for information sharing.
ReplyDeleteCourtney Hunt
Founder, Social Media in Organizations (SMinOrgs) Community