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19% of Internet users use Twitter or update status site : Up nearly 100% since April

October 25, 2009

The public’s growing use of Twitter or other services to share updates provides fertile ground for lawyers to network and engage their target audience.

Per a just released survey on Twitter and Status Updating from the Pew Internet & American Life Project:

Some 19% of internet users now say they use Twitter or another service to share updates about themselves, or to see updates about others. This represents a significant increase over previous surveys in December 2008 and April 2009, when 11% of internet users said they use a status-update service.

Of particular note for lawyers is that median age of those using Twitter and social networking sites.

  • Median age of a Twitter user is 31, which has remained stable over the past year.
  • Median age for MySpace is now 26, down from 27 in May 2008.
  • Median age for LinkedIn is now 39, down from 40.
  • Median age for Facebook is now 33, up from 26 in May 2008.

No question, per the Pew Foundation, that we’re going to see nothing but growth in the public’s use of Twitter and social networking sites.

[I]t is clear that a ‘social segment’ of internet users is flocking to both social network sites and status update services. This segment is likely to grow as ever more internet users adopt mobile devices as a primary means of going online.

The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonprofit “fact tank” that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. Their Internet & American Life Project produces reports exploring the impact of the internet on families, communities, work and home, daily life, education, health care, and civic and political life.

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