Study: Americans' Social Net Use On The Rise, But Services Not Entirely Wasted On The Young

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Nearly half -- 48% -- of Americans age 12 and older are now members of at least one social network, according to a new national survey from Arbitron and Edison Research. Showing the rapid rate at which the trend has spread, just 24% of Americans 12 and up had joined a social network two years ago. "Social networking has become a part of mainstream media behavior," said Tom Webster, VP of strategy and marketing at Edison Research.

What's more, social networking is not being entirely wasted on the young. Indeed, while nearly eight in ten teens -- 78% -- and 18- to- 24-year-olds -- 77% -- do have personal profile pages, almost two-thirds of those 25 to 34 -- 65% -- and half of those 35 to 44 -- 51% -- also now have personal profile pages.

The study also shows that 30% of Americans age 12 and older who have a profile on at least one social networking Web site use those sites "several times a day," compared with only 18% one year ago.

"The use of social networking sites has expanded beyond younger consumers, with substantial numbers of Americans over the age of 35 now using social media," said Bill Rose, SVP of marketing at Arbitron.

From late January, Arbitron conducted telephone interviews with 1,753 persons to investigate Americans' use of digital platforms and new media.

For the first time since Arbitron began conducting such research, more Americans said the Internet was "most essential" to their lives when given a choice along with television, radio, and newspapers. A full 42% chose the Internet as "most essential," followed by 37% who selected television, 14% who chose radio, and 5% who cited newspapers.

Meanwhile, more than six in ten households with Internet access have a Wi-Fi network at home, more easily enabling the consumption of digital media in any room of their home, as more and more devices feature built-in Wi-Fi such as the new Apple iPad.

Also of note, texting has become a daily activity for nearly half -- 45% -- of all mobile phone owners. Three-quarters of teens -- 75% -- and those age 18 to 24 -- 76% -- text multiple times a day, compared with nearly two-thirds -- 63% -- of those 25 to 34; and four in ten -- 42% -- of those 35 to 44 and 45 to 54 -- 37%.

The research also analyzes consumer use of the Internet, digital platforms and their impact on radio. "Americans continue to hold radio in high regard, with nearly eight in ten saying they plan to listen to as much AM/FM radio in the future as they do now -- despite advances of technology" said Rose.

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