Commentary

Online Teen Influencers Precisely Defined

A recent survey, by myYearbook and Ketchum of teen social media users, showed that not only are Online Influencers more likely than the average teen to participate in social media activities by updating their status at least once per day or sending 3,000 texts per month and spending more time socializing and influencing their peers offline. Social media teen Influencers are defined as the top 15% most active and most engaged teens in the myYearbook community. 

A teen's social media popularity translates offline, as teen social media Influencers are 40% more likely to have attended a party over the last weekend than average teens. They also are 20% more likely to have had a friend visit them at home in the last week. These Influencers are also more active than the average teen offline in terms of listening to music, playing video games, and reading books, newspapers, and magazines.

Geoff Cook, CEO of myYearbook, says "The survey dispels the notion that the most engaged teens on a social network are most likely to be home alone on a Saturday night; those teens who are most social online are most social offline."

Teen social media Influencers are hyper-communicators and hyper-purchasers, with 97% spending two hours per day on a social networking site, 95% updating their statuses at least once per day, and 91% having more than 500 friends on their social networks.

87% of teen social media Influencers share information on the products they use with their friends, compared to only 50% of teens in general. Across age brackets, these Influencers look to recommendations from friends and peers as their most trusted source. When it comes to purchasing a product, 52% of teen social media Influencers trust their friends' recommendations most, compared to 9% who would most trust an adult. 

Of teen social media Influencers, 88% are texting and 79% are online while watching television, versus 74% texting and 66% online among average teens. Half of teen Influencers spend three or more hours online while only a quarter spend the same amount of time watching television.

Source of Information Trusted Most by US TeenInfluencers (May 2010,  % of Respondents)

Information Source

% of Respondents

Friends

52%

Consumer reviews

13

Adults

9

Advertisements

5

Company information

5

Celebrities

4

Bloggers

3

News reporters

3

Other

7

Source: myYearbook & Ketchum, May 2010

The survey data indicates that teens aged 15 to 17 are the most engaged online, with activity among 18- and 19-year-olds dropping slightly, likely due to increased face-to-face socialization.

 Survey respondents indicated that content that is particularly humorous or shocking is what resonates most with them. The majority of respondents prefer interaction from brands to be clear and straightforward, but they also appreciate when a brand can be edgy, funny or shocking - as long as it is done well.

Adrianna Giuliani, Vice President, Ketchum, says "... across the board, teens said the most sharable content was ‘LOL! Funny' or ‘OMG! Shocking' or content that includes celebrities... " 

For more details included in the study, please visit Ketchum here.

 

1 comment about "Online Teen Influencers Precisely Defined".
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  1. John Fredette from Alcatel-Lucent, June 30, 2010 at 4:33 p.m.

    I would really like to see the correlation between the influencers and their GPA, the % that go to college etc? Are these young people preparing for a life of success or will they look upon high school as their golden years?

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